TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomingtang (KMT) Central Committee member Huang Chin-wei (黃覲偉) on Tuesday (Nov. 30) wrote that a female lawmaker "deserved to be beaten" by her boyfriend, prompting the KMT to quickly switch into damage control mode.

On Tuesday (Nov. 30), Mirror Media reported that columnist Raphael Lin (林秉樞) had beaten his girlfriend, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜), while they were staying at a hotel in mid-November. While many netizens expressed their support for Kao and condemned Lin, Huang took to Facebook seemingly to blame the victim: "To cause a man to become angry enough to hit a woman shows that she is really too clueless, especially her facial expressions."

He then attacked President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) by saying, "A woman surnamed Tsai who was never beaten by a man is a woman not qualified to support (Kao) because she is a woman who no men want, which shows that she is truly disgusting." One netizen responded to his comment by saying, "There are reasons why the KMT does not have support."

Another wrote, "I know that men who beat women are worse than pigs or dogs. According to your literal meaning, you would also beat women?" Huang responded, "(she) deserved to be beaten."

That evening, the KMT issued an official statement on Facebook in which it wrote that Huang's post "involved seriously inappropriate remarks on violence suffered by a public figure." The KMT Central Committee expressed its "most solemn condemnation" and requested that a follow-up investigation and disciplinary action be taken.

It went on to state that the entire party, including many public officials, have publicly expressed their solidarity in a personal capacity. "No one should be subjected to violence in intimate relationships. The Kuomintang strictly condemns any form of violence," concluded the statement.

In the wake of the uproar over his comments, Huang also issued an apology on his Facebook page:

"In Taiwan, where gender equality awareness is high, the two sexes need tolerance and humility to get along. Under the principle of gender equality, if either party in the relationship has any differing opinions, communication and coordination are very important and should not cause any unpleasant regrets to either party.

I solemnly apologize for my severely inappropriate remarks on the gender-based violence incidents involving public figures, which caused social disturbances. I also hope that my indiscreet remarks will raise attention for the current imbalance of gender relations in Taiwan, so that such regrettable incidents will never happen again.

Once again, I would like to stress that the inappropriate remarks made today are my own personal responsibility. I personally shoulder all the responsibilities. I once again apologize to the public for causing this disturbance."

Comments made by Huang blaming Kao for assault. (Facebook, Huang Chin-wei screenshot)