Taiwanese actor Tang Zhi Ping, whose mum committed suicide, refuses to claim her body
Taiwanese actor Ryan Tang Zhi Ping has his friends and manager worried about his wellbeing after he displayed erratic behaviour and refused to claim the body of his mother who had committed suicide.
Zhi Ping’s 73-year-old mother was found dead on the rooftop of their home on June 3.
Despite the approaching deadline to claim the body, Zhi Ping, 45, is adamant that the body is not hers and refuses to claim it.
Earlier this week, he showed up at SET TV station and lashed out at the media: "I've said 800 times that disgusting female corpse isn't my mum! Sorry to the female corpse. The entire island's media is slandering me."
He was also displeased that he was being pressured to "identify the corpse as his mother".
"The prosecution didn't ask me to do a DNA test. That is an unidentified corpse. I've already said it's not my mum, but all the media says it is. I don't acknowledge it. Just finding a corpse randomly, would you claim it? Would you be willing to [do it]?" he asked.
Zhiping, whose dad is a Chinese immigrant in Thailand, also demanded reporters call him by his Thai name.
"Don't call me Tang Zhiping. Please use my name in my passport, Dej Pong Pairoj. I'm not Taiwanese; I want to go back to my lousy Thailand," he said.
Zhi Ping's manager has issued a plea for help for the actor.
According to SET News, the actor knelt to the security guard when he appeared at the TV station last week.
When he saw reporters, he stood up and said the guard was making things difficult for him.
"The security guard said I couldn't leave my unfinished drink there and told me to put it in the dustbin," he retorted: "Can a Thai person's drink be left there?"
He then stated that he was there to inquire about job opportunities and hopes the TV station "could give [him] a chance at a job” before rushing in.
Zhi Ping's manager has since issued a statement on Facebook explaining that the agency is trying to help resolve the issue with his mum’s body but are in a fix as mother and son are not related by blood, which complicates the legal process.
He also appealed to the public for help on how to deal with the matter as well as the actor's struggles and health issues.
"What Zhi Ping needs most now is not empty words of concern or attention. We implore anyone with any way to help the company or friends to legally claim the body of Tang's mother or assist Zhi Ping in getting medical treatment. The company and friends would be very grateful," said Zhi Ping's manager.
The body is currently in a funeral home and if it is not claimed by July 8, the parlour will handle her funeral as an "unclaimed body”.
