Family lose touch with Taiwan writer in China: Straits Exchange Foundation

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) China-based Taiwanese writer Liao Meng-yen (廖孟彥) has lost contact with his family, the Straits Exchange Foundation confirmed Tuesday, with newspaper reports suggesting he may have been sentenced to time in prison.

The foundation, a semi-official organization handling technical and/or business matters with the People's Republic of China, confirmed that Liao's family has been unable to contact him for over a year.

The foundation said it will contact the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait -- its Chinese counterpart -- regarding the case.

No further details were disclosed.

However, according to Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times, Liao has reportedly been arrested and sentenced to jail time for publishing erotic fictions.

Liao, better known as Roson (羅森), has long lived and worked in China and is known for "wuxia" or "martial hero" fantasies, a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists.

Netizens have been unable to access his website since September 2022 and Liao's last post on his Weibo account was made on Nov. 12 that year.

The post has attracted comments asking whether or not he was okay, but none have been responded to.