Living in fear in Taiwan
I wish to share with you an account of something that happened last Saturday in New Taipei City (新北市).
My wife and I took our children for a walk at about 6pm. I left home earlier with both children because my wife had to make some preparations for them.
When I crossed a street, I noticed a man taking two children for a ride on a scooter. They were not wearing crash helmets, so I remarked he shouldn’t be transporting them in this way. By that time, my wife had already rejoined us.
We exchanged some heated words. I am a father of two and understand the importance of safety on scooters and I try to instill it in others.
In the meantime, the man took out his cellphone and I said we could call the police if he wishes. He said “OK” and that he was about to do it. He was also shouting out that I am a foreigner and this was not my country, that I should go back to my homeland and that there was no place for me in Taiwan. He spiced it up with a lot of obscenities, which I couldn’t comprehend, but was told about it by my wife.
We left the man making the phone call and resumed strolling, unaware of any danger. We had been happily engaged in conversation when suddenly the man appeared to the right of me. At the same moment, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. I turned around and noticed the man had brought along two accomplices. One of them, a particularly aggressive man with glasses, hit me on the head with a brick.
I was trying to reason with them because our children were frightened and kept crying and my wife was shouting at them to leave me alone. I said not to get our kids involved because they are young, but the offenders wouldn’t listen. They kept coming at me.
By that time a crowd had gathered and they were shouting at the men to leave us alone. Seeing that more people were getting involved, the attackers left us after dealing me a final blow to my face.
My wife had earlier called for her father and he had just arrived, so we all went to the police station to report the incident. My wife and my kids were really scared and I was just thinking about how to take care of them. I was not concerned about the wounds I had sustained.
The police were trying to be nice, but I had problems communicating with them as none spoke English well enough. I asked my wife to translate.
In my opinion, the police could have acted more professionally. It was only after my wife had complained that they agreed to go and inspect the scene. The attackers had left the bricks there, but the police didn’t secure them as evidence. It was my father-in-law who brought them to the police station later on. A negligence of that magnitude shouldn’t have happened.
The police were also viewing the footage from the closed-circuit television cameras located at and near the scene, but as of now nothing about the altercation has reportedly been found.
We spent more than two hours at the police station answering questions and we caused a great deal of interest, but I understood it was more to do with me being a foreigner than a genuine intention of trying to help.
The children were terribly scared and the older one was running around constantly and fell, hurting his forehead. The younger one couldn’t sleep that night.
The next day, I went to a hospital to have some checks done and also had a brain scan, but nothing was found to be wrong. I was told to immediately report back to the hospital if any symptoms like vomiting or dizziness appeared. I am also going to take another test in about a month.
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Reading this , my take :
- Cultural differences here. A western person will take a bit of chiding from a stranger in such a situ because he can clearly see the stranger means well and is looking after the safety of his children by berating him (rightly so).
But a Taiwanese person will see this as a loss of face in public and an intrusion into his definition of proper care for his children. And be extremely insulted.
MOst Taiwanese are cowardly that is true. A lot of them will call up their buds to come and help them fight. Some though will attack you one on one so dont assume you have the bit of time before their friends arrive.
- The western person obviously didnt think such a thing will happen as he was clearly looking out for the interest of the other man’s child and in the western world would not have met with such an outcome.
However he was foolish to exchange heated words with others while in the company of his own wife and children. He should avoid conflict , especially when he is with his vulnerable children and wife.
In taiwan its not a good idea to be seen as to “challenge” another person. The proper way would be to smile and say hi, how are you? Nice children you have … I have mine here as well. OH by the way, I noticed you have forgotten your helmets for them. Its dangerous without helmets. Can I lend you mine? (even if he didnt have them with him). Because this is an out for the other person. He will no doubt make up some excuse that he forgot and is going home to get them, etc.
Just smile and be polite (means mutual respect here).
The mans children will not be safer with this exchange. But after a heated exchange the man is still going to take his kids on his moto without helmets and now he is bothered and angry and even more in danger of making a mistake in traffic. End result, even greater danger for the mans kids and a whack on the head for the westerner.
Its paramount to observe rules of politeness with strangers in Asia. To not do so has resulted in people being knifed or whacked with bats etc.
A loss of politeness means a possible escalation of conflict on the wan.
People are highly compressed on the island and the veneer of politeness is of great importance to keep everyone on an even keel.
His motives were noble but his execution was not good at all.
