Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Tsai Kuang-shen and Ho Li-lan still believe that one day they will see their missing son again, although their last glimpse of the baby boy was almost 35 years ago.
Tsai Ming-chih, who was only 2 years old when he was taken from his parents in 1972, is one of more than 3,000 missing children in Taiwan, according to National Police Agency (NPA) records. Although NPA records show one case in which a family succeeded in finding a missing child after 13 years, the Tsais have never found their
beloved son.
Still, Tsai Kuang-shen has managed to keep the faith and was optmistic about finding his son at a press conference in Taipei Monday.
"I imagine that somewhere, Ming-chih -- 36 years old by now -- has a family and a successful career. I used to hope we would have him back for a family reunion. Not anymore. The only thing I need right now is to know where he is and how he's doing," said Tsai.
According to witnesses, Tsai Ming-chih was taken away in front of his grandmother's house in Chiayi, southern Taiwan, by a woman dressed in red on the afternoon of October 3, 1972.
The Tsais would never see him again. And they were unable to identify the woman, even with the assistance of police and child welfare organizations over the next 35 years.
Thousands of sleepless nights and tears did not impede their search for Ming-chih, as numerous bits of information -- notes on tips, photographs and news clippings -- piled up in the Tsais' living room.
"You don't often find such a determined family like the Tsais. A lot of parents give up [searching for their children] after a number of years," said Wang Yu-min, executive director of Child Welfare League Foundation, an organization founded 14 years ago to help parents like the Tsais find their children again.
"After all these years, I believe it's easier if he [Tsai Ming-chih] comes to us instead of going out to find him," Tsai said, adding that media outlets would be of great help by spreading the news.
"Sometimes all parents need is a definite answer -- no matter what that answer may be. The last thing they need is a question mark in their minds," Wang said.
"If we can eventually find Ming-chih again, it will be another inspiring Taiwan Miracle," she said.