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Goodnight Chicken
Personal information
Born
Chen Neng-chuan

1992 or 1993 (age 31–32)
YouTube information
Channel
LocationTaiwan
Subscribers123,000[1]
(19 January 2025)
Total views18.7 million[1]
(19 January 2025)
Contents are inChinese
100,000 subscribers
Last updated: 19 January 2025

Chen Neng-chuan (Chinese: 陳能釧; born 1992 or 1993), better known by his online alias Goodnight Chicken (Chinese: 晚安小雞) is a Taiwanese YouTuber and live streamer. He is known for his livestreams exploring abandoned areas and buildings, and investigating paranormal activities. Chen became a prominent content creator in 2020 after discovering a mummified body in a hospital that he was exploring, and helping solve the missing persons case. In 2024, he was arrested after staging a kidnapping on a livestream in Cambodia, and subsequently sentenced to 2 years in prison.

Career

[edit]

Chen Neng-chuan was born in 1992 or 1993, and is Taiwanese.[2][3] Chen is primarily known for his live streams exploring abandoned buildings for paranormal activities.[4][5]

In November 2020, Chen went to an abandoned hospital in Datong District, Taipei to film content, and found the hanging mummified body of a 38-year-old man who had been missing for over a year. He subsequently reported the find to local police. The man's mother thanked Chen for the discovery, and Chen later stated that he had nightmares following the incident.[6][7] This incident has been regarded as Chen's breakthrough in content creation, commencing his rise in popularity as a live streamer.[8]

In January 2022, Chen went into an abandoned building in North District, Taichung, and claimed to see a young girl's body. The local mayor and residents stated that there had been no body, and accused Chen of lying. The landlord of the building filed a lawsuit against Chen and three people accompanying him that day. Chen and the other three people were sent to the Taichung District Prosecutor's Office for investigation on charges of trespassing, defamation, and public endangerment.[8] In August 2022, Chen explored a hospital in Kinmen and claimed it was haunted. The local government found these actions to be damaging, and reported him to police; he was asked to publish an apology in a newspaper and clarify that the hospital was not haunted.[8] The same year, he broke into the Golden Empire Building in Yuanlin and filmed himself being chased by a homeless person with a knife. The authenticity of the act was questioned, with suspicion that the video was staged. The manager of the building filed a complaint against Chen for trespassing, and he was transferred to a court for prosecution for violating the Criminal Code for trespassing into a residence and for spreading false information.[9]

In October 2022, Chen was beat up by three men while filming in the defunct Chengguang Junior High School in Rende District. He sustained blunt trauma across his body and had a slight concussion.[10] In May 2023, Chen claimed to have collaborated with Zhushan Zinan Temple to sell 10,000 bracelets blessed by the temple. The temple refuted the claim and stated all bracelets and accessories sold under their name online were fakes.[8] Later that month, he claimed to have Year of the Rabbit and Year of the Tiger fortune cards that were produced by the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, attempting to sell them. The temple denied the claims.[8] Chen has also allegedly sold counterfeit hair dryers on Facebook, selling them for 990 yuan and claiming they were Dyson products. The hair dryer received complaints after users claimed that buttons did not work and that the product emitted smoke.[11][12]

2024 fake kidnapping incident

[edit]
Sihanoukville (pictured in 2014), where the crime took place.

On February 11, 2024, Chen arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport with friend and fellow internet personality Lu Tsu-hsien, known online as "Anow", and visited various locations in the city to shoot a live stream at.[13] They originally planned to shoot at Phnom Penh Military Hospital, however did not after the site did not meet their expectations.[14][15] On February 12, Chen and Lu travelled to Sihanoukville.[3][16] The area had become infamous for gangs kidnapping people and forcing them to partake in online scams.[3] The scams involved luring people into the country with promises of high-paying jobs and forcing the victims to work in scam centers where they were often subject to human trafficking, torture, and kidnapping.[17][18] Sihanoukville has been described as the centre of such operations.[19] The same day, Chen started a live stream on YouTube claiming he had broken into a scam compound.[20] He was supposedly pursued by someone wearing military attire, and Chen was beaten up before the stream abruptly ended.[21][22]

Online viewership of the stream exceeded 10,000 concurrent viewers, and over 40,000 comments were made online following the stream.[23] Shortly after the stream, Chen posted videos claiming he and Lu had been kidnapped and needed help.[24] The fake kidnapping followed a string of high-profile kidnappings of Taiwanese citizens in Cambodia.[24] His wife, who was still in Taiwan, posted a video on the Goodnight Chicken Facebook page claiming Chen had gone missing, whilst crying.[24][25] Later, Chen would start another livestream claiming that he was running away from his kidnappers, and that he had his head partly shaven during the ordeal by them.[3] In the video, he shows injuries apparently sustained during the attack and claimed he had been robbed.[22] The then-governor of the province, Kuoch Chamroeun, posted about the case on Facebook, encouraging assistance into locating Chen's whereabouts.[26][22] The Taiwan Foreign Ministry stated that no inquiries had been made by Chen's family regarding his whereabouts.[24]

The credibility of the story was questioned online shortly thereafter. An influencer Liu Yu claimed to have found Chen's location, and said that Chen appeared to have ran in circles. The pair were arrested on February 13, 2024, in their hotel rooms, and were found with equipment and props to be used for Chen's staged kidnapping. They were found guilty on February 15 of "incitement to cause chaos to social security", and the videos were discredited as fake content affecting the honour of the province.[4][3] It was later found that the pair intended to create videos around human smuggling, torture, rape and organ trading whilst in the country,[27] and had bought several items for the videos including fake blood, prop guns, and military outfits.[28]

Prime Minister Hun Manet (pictured in 2022) criticized the crime and called for harsher punishments.

They were sentenced to 2 years in prison, ordered to pay a combined fine of $2000, and were banned from entering the country again.[29][3] The quick sentencing and trial drew controversy in Chen's native Taiwan, where it takes at least 2 months for a verdict, especially due to the lack of official diplomatic relations between the countries.[30] Following his conviction, Chen was placed in a cell with 150 other inmates, and was quoted as having a "miserable" time in jail.[27] A month after being sentenced, Chen wrote a thousand-character apology letter to his wife.[31] Chen is scheduled to be deported after serving his sentence.[32][33]

Reactions

[edit]

The pair were extensively criticised by Cambodian politicians and the public, including by former Prime Minister Hun Sen,[34] and Prime Minister Hun Manet, who believed the pair were damaging the country's reputation by making it out to be dangerous.[29] Appeals were made to Manet for the pair's release out of sympathy, claiming that Chen's mother was severely ill. He rejected the request, instead calling for the sentence to be longer as they were "ungrateful sons",[29][35] and personally demanded for the men to be kept in jail "for the rest of their lives".[36] Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many condemned the behaviour, stating that the actions of Chen and Lu were "intolerable" and had damaged the honour of the country.[37] Internet reaction towards the conviction was generally unsympathetic.[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "About 晚安小雞官方頻道". YouTube.
  2. ^ 自由時報電子報 (16 February 2024). "不保護嫌犯！柬埔寨公開「晚安小雞」真實姓名" [Don't protect the suspect! Cambodia reveals real name of 'Goodnight Chicken']. Liberty Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Wright, George (16 February 2024). "Cambodia jails Taiwanese YouTuber for fake kidnap". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b Mishra, Stuti (17 February 2024). "Cambodian court sentences Taiwanese YouTuber to jail for faking his kidnapping". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Taiwanese livestreamer fakes abduction at Cambodian scam mill, facing punishment". Asia One. 16 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  6. ^ Luo, Zhihua (9 November 2020). "直播主廢棄醫院探險…驚見上吊屍「半身分離」！回家惡夢不斷 原文網址: 直播主廢棄醫院探險…驚見上吊屍「半身分離」！回家惡夢不斷" [The live broadcaster explored the abandoned hospital...and was shocked to see the hanging corpse "half body separated"! Nightmares keep coming home]. ET Today (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  7. ^ Wang, Guanren (10 November 2020). "直播主夜闖廢棄醫院 驚見吊掛乾屍剩半身" [The live broadcast host broke into an abandoned hospital at night and was shocked to see a hanging mummy with half of its body intact.]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e "昔售假發財金！晚安小雞闖「柬埔寨」下落不明 過往爭議一次看" [I used to make a fortune by selling fakes! Good Night Chicken breaks into "Cambodia" and his whereabouts are unknown. Watch the controversies in the past.]. Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  9. ^ Wang, Yiren (13 February 2024). "「晚安小雞」是誰？闖鬼樓撞見乾屍竄紅 造假遭街友追殺挨告(爭議事件簿)". Apple Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  10. ^ Wang, Zhihong (23 October 2022). "「晚安小雞」台南遭海扁！闖廢校直播被嗆「給你個教訓」 宣布無限期停播" ["Goodnight Chicken" Tainan suffered a blow! A live broadcast at an abandoned school was choked with "I'll teach you a lesson" and the broadcast was suspended indefinitely.]. Apple Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  11. ^ "晚安小雞被踢爆賣假貨! 吹風機一開冒白煙" [Good Night Chicken was kicked out for selling fake products! The hair dryer emits white smoke when it is turned on]. Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 16 February 2024. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  12. ^ "晚安小雞柬國遭逮又被踢爆 賣「戴森假貨」開機秒冒煙！網友罵翻" [Goodnight Chicken was arrested in Cambodia and was exposed for selling "Dyson fakes" that smoked within seconds of turning on! Netizens scolded]. Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 16 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Influencer busted for fake Preah Sihanouk kidnap". The Phnom Penh Post. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  14. ^ Zang, Weixiang (15 February 2024). "晚安小雞柬埔寨「下跪道歉」 認了自導自演：影片是我變造" [Good Night Chick Cambodia "knelt down to apologize" and admitted that he directed and acted in the film: "I made up the film"]. China Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  15. ^ ""晚安小鸡"和"阿闹"下跪求原谅 西港省长：他们犯下严重错误，必须承担法律责任" ["Goodnight Chicken" and "Anow" kneeled down and begged for forgiveness. The governor of Sihanoukville said: "They made serious mistakes and must bear legal responsibility"]. The Cambodia China Times (in Chinese). 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  16. ^ Pan, Jason (16 February 2024). "Streamer kidnapping staged: Cambodian authorities". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  17. ^ Wee, Sui-Lee (28 August 2023). "A Global Cyber-Scam Industry Is Booming in Plain Sight in Cambodia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  18. ^ "Cambodia scams: Lured and trapped into slavery in South East Asia". BBC News. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  19. ^ "Sold to gangs, forced to run online scams: inside Cambodia's cybercrime crisis". The Guardian. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  20. ^ "Taiwanese YouTubers get 2 years for Cambodia kidnapping stunt". Radio Free Asia. 16 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  21. ^ Chai, Ruth (17 February 2024). "Taiwanese influencers get 2 years' jail in Cambodia after live-streaming fake abduction & escape". Mothership. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  22. ^ a b c "Taiwanese streamer accused of spreading misinformation detained in Cambodia". Focus Taiwan. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  23. ^ "台網紅闖柬埔寨詐騙園區直播 遭發現毒打生死不明 妻發聲求救". China Times (in Chinese). 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  24. ^ a b c d Thomson, Jono (14 February 2024). "Taiwan streamer arrested after faking own kidnapping in Cambodia". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  25. ^ "Foreign social media celebrity arrested for faking Cambodia kidnapping". Khmer Times. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  26. ^ "沒遭毆打或搶劫...網紅晚安小雞遭柬拘留 刑事局：涉散佈不實訊息" [He was not beaten or robbed...Internet celebrity Goodnight Chicken was detained by the Cambodian Criminal Bureau for spreading false information]. United Daily News (in Chinese). 14 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  27. ^ a b c "Taiwanese YouTuber Chen Neng Chuan who faked his kidnapping put in Cambodia jail cell holding 150 inmates". South China Morning Post. 2 March 2024. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Taiwanese influencer jailed in Cambodia for faking live streams of own abduction in scam mill". The Straits Times. 16 February 2024. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  29. ^ a b c "終身禁入境柬埔寨！晚安小雞、阿鬧列黑名單 總理：依法嚴懲造假者". Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  30. ^ "獨家／晚安小雞遭逮速判2年過快？律師指「1疑點」揭台柬法律2困境" [Exclusive/Good Night Chicken is caught and sentenced to 2 years too soon? Lawyer points out "1 doubtful point" reveals Taiwan-Cambodia legal dilemma 2]. Yahoo! News (in Chinese). 18 February 2024. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  31. ^ Chen, Yiling (19 March 2024). "晚安小雞入獄1個月！驚爆柬埔寨「坐牢過超爽」嗨喊：夏令營". TVBS News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  32. ^ Zhong, Jinlong (16 February 2024). "晚安小雞盼拍真實的柬埔寨彌補 柬方堅持依法辦理". RTI (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  33. ^ "Manet: Kingdom's reputation, image must be safeguarded". The Phnom Penh Post. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  34. ^ "晚安小雞案驚動柬埔寨前總理 洪森籲「關到刑滿」". CNA (in Chinese). 18 February 2024. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  35. ^ "Manet dismisses calls for release of 'fake kidnap' pair". The Phnom Penh Post. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  36. ^ Liu, Zheqi (18 February 2024). "晚安小雞成柬埔寨公敵 前總理洪森首發聲：一定讓他們關好關滿" [Goodnight Chicken has become the public enemy of Cambodia. Former Prime Minister Hun Sen made the first statement: "They must be locked up properly"]. TVBS News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  37. ^ Li, Xinjie (18 February 2024). "晚安小雞惹怒柬埔寨政府！ 準副總理震怒：無法容忍" [Goodnight Chicken angers Cambodian government! The prospective deputy-prime minister was furious: "intolerable"]. Liberty Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
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