Former baseball star almost denied entry to US after hair transplants

Former baseball star almost denied entry to US after hair transplants

2025-09-18

Former baseball star Ati Masaw said that he was almost denied entry to the US recently because his passport photo didn’t reflect his successful hair transplants. He also said that after getting the issue sorted out, the customs officer ended up asking him how much the procedure normally costs in Taiwan. Ati Masaw isn’t the only person to look much better than one’s passport photo, to the point of being stopped at the border. Stay tuned for a case of a real glow-up.

Former baseball star Ati Masaw now has a full head of hair, quite different from how most people remember him to look like. In the past, he embraced his baldness proudly, but now he’s close to growing bangs. His new look almost made the US customs deny him entry, simply because he looked so different. Ati Masaw said after explaining the situation, the officer ended up asking him if hair transplants are expensive in Taiwan. It seems like he’s not the only one with a much-needed photo update.

Member of public
Had eyelid surgery
My passport photo was from when I still had monolids. I had eyelid surgery later. The customs officer asked me why I looked different. I was quite nervous, because I was worried that I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the country.

Member of public
Got bangs
I didn’t have bangs in my passport photo, but I did in person. So I went through the manual lane, and had a human immigration officer check my identity and stamp my passport.

A woman from the US shared her experience going through customs with a bare face, while she had worn a full face for her passport photo. She said the immigration officer probably thought she was a catfish and almost denied her entry.

Member of public
Dolled up for passport photo
This is why you should never do hot photos for your passport, because I don’t look like this.

A Japanese city councilor, Norihiro Uehata was also an extreme example of not looking like one’s photo. He had lost 50kg in two years, and looked like he could be the son of his former self.

Norihiro Uehata (2023)
Kobe City councilor (Japan)
When I pulled up the before-and-after photo for my weight loss from Instagram, the immigration officer smiled and said, “Oh, good!” and let me through.

It seems that even though a passport only expires in ten years, it’s still advisable to get a new one for your glow-up to avoid hassles at the border.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#passport #photo #hairtransplant #plasticsurgery #haircut #weightloss #catfish #reversecatfish #glowup #nomakeup #bonita

植髮有成! 張泰山美國過海關被疑"不是本人"

2025-09-18

前職棒球星張泰山，因為家族遺傳髮線較禿，他年初植髮成功，沒想到最近入境美國海關時，卻被移民官攔下來，說照片和本人不一樣，張泰山趕快解釋，沒想到移民官還問他台灣植髮價格貴不貴。

一頭茂密頭髮，幾乎認不出，他是球星張泰山，比一比，過去的電火球造型，植髮後，還有瀏海，沒想到他最近入境美國，竟被海關攔下，說照片和本人不像。張泰山解釋後，對方還問台灣植髮貴不貴。一些民眾分享自己出國過海關驗證身分的經驗。

[[民眾]]
“護照上是單眼皮，後來有去縫。海關就有問我怎麼變得不一樣，滿緊張的，因為想說會不會出不了國。”

[[民眾]]
“護照上面是沒有瀏海，但是本人是有瀏海的。後來就是去走人工通道，然後人工的移民官辨識，然後確認之後就蓋章。”

美國一名女性，頂著素顏過海關，沒想到卻被移民官質疑，護照照片太美，差點過不了關。

[[美國民眾]]
“這就是為什麼你不應該把護照照片拍得太美，因為我看起來不像這樣。”

日本議員上畠寛弘，也有類似經驗，他兩年內減掉50公斤，過關時，也被質疑根本不同人。

[[日本議員(2023) 上畠寛弘]]
“當我拿出IG的減肥前後照片，移民官就笑著說Oh! Good，就成功通關。”

看來身形、髮型改變，護照照片恐怕也得跟著變，免得卡關。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
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民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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With the shutdown of Taiwan’s last remaining nuclear power plant in May, the government met its goal of having a nuclear-free homeland. Still, there have since been persistent worries in the business community that Taiwan could face power shortages. Edwin Liu, the president of the government’s tech incubator, the Industrial Technology Research Institute or ITRI, recently appeared on FTV’s “News Observation” program. Liu, an energy expert, said no option could be ruled out and called for efficient management of existing power resources. Let’s hear more.

ITRI President Edwin Liu recently appeared in an FTV program. Taiwan has reached a government goal of having a nuclear-free homeland by 2025 and is facing a critical time in its energy transition. Liu stressed that no option could be ruled out.

Edwin Liu
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There’s only so much land and we can’t put up too many solar panels. Or if you consider the level of risk, for example nuclear power is relatively risky, then we’ll give this a lower priority. This is optimizing the situation given constraints. We have these restrictions and conditions and we’ll find the best solution. If we can’t find a solution, we’ll relax the constraints a little bit, and then find a solution. This is a mathematical model, so I think this is a very professional matter and we can’t rule out any options.

Taiwan’s geography and environment gives it an advantage in the development of renewable energy. However, there has been constant talk of power shortages. Liu used a spot-on metaphor to explain this.

Edwin Liu
ITRI President
Whether you have a shortage of electricity is like whether you have a shortage of cash. Whether you have a shortage of electricity – or not -- all depends on how you use it. Using electricity is not about using it frugally. Rather it is all about how it is managed. One kilowatt-hour of electricity should have the efficiency of one kilowatt-hour of electricity. That is to say, if you generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity and waste half of it, you will complain that electricity generation is insufficient.

Liu, an energy specialist, has led ITRI to win numerous awards during his tenure. He hopes to continue promoting the development of market-oriented research and development in the future and ultimately fulfill ITRI’s goal of assisting with Taiwan’s industrial transformation.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Airport partners with major airlines to share little-seen parts of air travel

The Taoyuan airport this year partnered with two of the nation’s flagship airlines to organize a camp where participants could experience little-seen parts of the airport, both airside and landside. They got to see the airlines’ operations centers and even got a sneak peek into the mysterious kitchen. At the camp, participants gained a practical understanding of what goes into running an airport from the inside out, not to mention a truly unique experience.

Oxygen masks drop from overhead as the cabin fills with smoke. Flight attendants spray fire extinguishers everywhere, but everyone is remaining calm. That’s because this is an emergency training cabin. The visitors had their cameras at the ready to capture the scene.

Lee Ssu-ying
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The participants in today’s airport experience camp are getting the rare opportunity to experience an emergency evacuation. We hope that apart from the frontline staff serving passengers, they can also appreciate the efforts of airlines at ensuring flight safety.

The Taoyuan airport partnered with two of the nation’s flagship airlines to organize a camp where participants could experience both the airside and landside parts of the airport, in addition to the airlines’ operations centers and even the hidden-away catering area. The airport said it invited senior instructors from various fields to show participants operations on the airport apron, emergency evacuation training for flight attendants, and aerial rescue training for firefighters.

Not only that, but they also got to enter the kitchen to see how in-flight meals are made, giving a rare glimpse into the secrets behind a smoothly operating airport.

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These participants gained a wealth of knowledge and experiences to bring back with them. The camp also gave them a renewed appreciation for the hard work that goes into running every nook and cranny of the airport.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Humming to herself as she set off, she had no idea what would happen next...

Her pink three-wheeled electric vehicle lies on its side along the shore, partially submerged into the ocean. If you look closely, a part of the outer shell has broken off.

Mrs. Youni
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When I discovered what happened, of course I was shocked. We had parked properly and were sitting in a cafe when I saw my car on its side like that in the ocean. Something like 90% of tourists to Udo will rent this kind of vehicle.

She contacted the rental, which brought out a piece of blank paper and wrote on it by hand demanding half the value of the car in compensation: 2 million won, or about NT$44,000. When she asked for a formal quote, the owner refused. In order to keep to her schedule and avoid the trouble, she had to pay, and her international driver’s license was confiscated.

Mrs. Youni
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There seems to be a general practice among the car rental places in Udo that they don’t get insurance for the driver or the vehicle. So if you encounter a problem when driving in Udo, the renter bears 100% of the responsibility.

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These mini cars on Udo may look cute, but remember to take photos of the vehicle and test ride it before heading out, or else you might be taken advantage of if something happens.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Boy’s scalp scraped by razor during lightning-bolt haircut

One mother in Taichung recently took her child to a salon to get his hair cut with a shaved lightning bolt design. But to the mother’s dismay, the child was in such pain when he came back home that he had to be taken to the hospital the next day, where they found a long scrape on his scalp. At first the salon claimed “this is normal,” before admitting fault and apologizing profusely.

This young boy had a lightning bolt design shaved on the side of his head during a recent haircut. It seems like a cute idea, but the stylist must have shaved too close to the skin, leaving long red marks along the boy’s scalp.

Mother (voice altered)
His scalp is already in very serious condition, with wounds on both sides.

This mother brought her child to a hair salon in Taichung’s Fengyuan District and agreed on a hairstyle after speaking with the hairdresser. But to her dismay, after spending NT$800, her son was returned to her with cuts on his scalp.

Ms. Chiang
Salon manager
We feel deeply sorry for the discomfort this has caused the child and his mother. We sincerely apologize, and we will bravely take full responsibility for our actions.

The salon came forward to apologize on behalf of the stylist and said it would cover any relevant medical expenses. But when the mother first told the salon what had happened, she received a very different response.

Mother (voice altered)
He said this was normal and that the same thing happened to his child. He said my child shouldn’t get this style cut in the future, as some children may not be able to tolerate it.

Ms. Chiang
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Right now, we are only focusing on the child’s subsequent safety and health.

The manager did not have a straight answer for how this happened. Another hair stylist said using an electric razor at the wrong angle could have caused the injury.

Rose
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Usually, scrapes like this happen when the razor angle is wrong. The electric razor may have been pressing on his scalp and then used at too low an angle. It also could have been a new razor that the stylist was not yet used to using.

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There’s also a restaurant on the main road that’s doing something similar to promote Kenting. All the photographs hanging along the walls were taken by the owner.

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