Traffic stop results in reunion of Taiwanese mother and son separated for 20 years

交通攔檢讓失散20年的台灣母子重逢

Mother and son set to meet during Lunar New Year


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A traffic stop in southern Taiwan on Tuesday (Dec. 6) accidentally resulted in the union of a mother and a son who had been separated for 20 years.

The Renwu Precinct of the Kaohsiung City Police Department issued a press release on Sunday (Dec. 11), stating that that around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the precinct's patrolling officers pulled over a 46-year-old man surnamed Kao (高) at an intersection in Zenwu District, Kaohsiung City for smoking while riding a scooter, which is against the law, CNA reported.

While checking his identity, the police found that Kao was the son of a 70-year-old woman surnamed Lan (藍) who had been looking for him.

It was reported that Lan left home to live in Taichung alone 20 years ago due to unbearable domestic violence. After being separated from her family for so many years, she returned to Kaohsiung in November to find her family.

However, as their old house had been rebuilt, she was unable to find her family. So, Lan recently went to a police station in Fengshan District to ask police for help to find her son.

After the police found Kao, they immediately notified Lan and asked the mother and son to acknowledge each other by phone. An emotional Kao told his mother that he had been looking for her for a long time and that he did not expect to have the chance to meet her again.

The two made an appointment to meet during the Lunar New Year holiday. Kao repeatedly thanked the police for making the reunion possible, per CNA.