Didn’t catch the news yesterday. I notice there was a healthy exchange of views at the airport on Lien Zhan’s departure for China, and Frank Hsieh has commented that violent protests are illegal and those responsible will be brought to justice nyada nyada…
Where were the airport police ? Was it just too big for them to handle ? Or did they just stand back and watch ? I mean this is Taiwan’s principal airport, surely you would expect violent incidents to be dealt with swiftly and arrests made on the spot ? Did anyone see the video footage ?
The wife & I watched this in a restaraunt last night at dinner and later at home. Listened to the english news version on ICRT this early a.m also.
It was hilarious. Hundreds of “Taiwan Police” and thousands (?) of flagellating demonstrators. DPP on one side - KMT on the other side and varius 'agitators working both crowds.
At first my wife was upset that these clowns were acting like this. I then pointed out to her that despite the flailing of clubs and weak-wristed punches…there was No Blood happening on either side.
It was just a bunch of wimps play acting.
She, I and the others in the cafe were laughing our collectives butts off at these clowns.
Quite a chaotic scene at the airport based on the TV footage. Fireworks and Bullhorns being used. Pushing, shoving, and stomping on people on the ground.
What I find more surprising is that taxi cabs decided to form road blocks to Lien’s car pool to the airport.
From a foreign perspective make Taiwan society look out of control.
In comparison the footage of Lien in the PRC, which was orderly, well managed, and photo ops galore.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]At first my wife was upset that these clowns were acting like this. I then pointed out to her that despite the flailing of clubs and weak-wristed punches…there was No Blood happening on either side.
It was just a bunch of wimps play acting.
She, I and the others in the cafe were laughing our collectives butts off at these clowns. [/quote]
Hahaha! The hilarity of pan-Blue Taipei County Legislator Jin Jieshou getting a bloody head (i.e., No blood):
Don’t worry. Foreigners who happened to be at the airport and on their way home saw the following freedom of speech.
Men with sticks.
Man near right holding bottle has “Love Taiwan” armband and “anti-Communist” headband:
Old man in airport with a huge sword. Shirt says “Save Taiwan … etc”:
it was a f*cking joke… i hope it made international news since they way it was handled was an absolute embarassment to Taiwan that totally overshadows the issue of Lien running around behind Chen’s back…
gangs of angry peasants lobbing firecrackers, knives, bottles etc. at each other with occasional soap opera style fisticuffs then like TC said largely amounted to nothing although there were a few incidents of gangs of supporters of both sides mobbing and beating elderly supporters of the opposing side…
what amazed me is how absolutely USELESS the “police” were… the rioters on both sides just attacked the police who in the most heated of the confrontations numbered perhaps 3 or so and acted like dazed schoolgirls, meakly issuing a few “pai sei pai sei”… “bu yao zhe yangzi” requests as knives were thrown, firecrackers exploded in peoples faces and mobs assualted unlucky indivduals… I mean honestly if you are lobbing explosives around in an international airport and assaulting police officers, you should absolutely expect to get yourself Rodney King’ed if not worse… strangely they had lots of shots of large groups of lackys in their brown trainee uniforms with riot shields practicing their synchronised shield showing skills in the parking lot, but they were nowhere to be seen when the sh*t went down…
I mean how hard is it really… you know that the situation is going to be nasty… so why not get a few hundred trained cops in heavy riot gear to block every entrance to every airport building and nobody gets in without a passport and a plane ticket for that day… let the peasants fight it out in the parking lot where are least you can tear gas and tazer the instigators to you hearts content… I mean protest all you want but when there are knives and mini explosives being thrown around whilst the police are assualted and pushed around inside the main terminal of your main “international” airport, that just screams WE’RE A 3rd WORLD BANANA REPUBLIC loud and clear to the rest of the world… What scant respect I had for the “police” in Taiwan has dissolved to less than nothing after that pathetic showing yesterday… :loco:
At first my wife was upset that these clowns were acting like this. I then pointed out to her that despite the flailing of clubs and weak-wristed punches…there was No Blood happening on either side.
It was just a bunch of wimps play acting.[/quote]
I guess editing can make a difference. I watched some of the live coverage yesterday and again saw some video last night. Even in the live shots the ‘blood’ was obvious. I could not believe that the TV crews were able to find all of the ‘weapons’ being taken in the airport but the police were clueless. Some of the beatings seemed to occur almost in front of the police, yet were not stopped or hindered, except by other protesters.
The shots of the international passengers disgust with the whole affair was the most disheartening. Pan-blue, pan-green, far left, far right, or in-between - this was as bad an international picture to transmit to the world as the legislature videos of past times.
I read the TT this morning but not the CP yet. Mostly as expected. Put the blame elsewhere and take no responsibility - blue, green, or police. Worst quote I found so far, was the TT editorial that said the protesters at the airport (thugs) were defending democracy. Second worse was the ‘advice’ that politicians should be careful what they do or say lest they ‘cause’ this type of reaction by some people.
Eggs, rocks, swords, knives, sticks, and mobs - the Taiwan definition of the tools of democracy. All in an international, secure venue.
Absolutely agree with Plasmatron and OutOfChaos: an international airport is NOT a place to hold protests.
Throwing firecrackers inside a terminal, crates full of eggs, … And half of those dimheads - the green ones - claim they love Taiwan. Very few foreign passengers who passed thru the airport yesterday will share that feeling, I’m sure.
Frank Xie said this morning he hopes this won’t happen again when Lian returns or Song goes. He’d better be right.
It was. There were reports on CNN, BBC and News Asia. The Herald Tribune and the Asian Wall Street Journal had coverage leading up to the trip, so I’d imagine they’ll have something about the airport in today’s edition.
Was disappointed and embarrassed by the whole thing; from seeing old ladies getting knocked down and young guys using sticks to hit old men to the cops doing little else but tell the taxi drivers blocking the highway to just move along…too paisay to make an arrest, it seemed…
Saw it last night and the chief of the airport police admitted they failed and apologized publicly (during the press conference). Obviously they weren’t able to handle the situation, the protesters outnumbered them and in parts because some of the forces consisted of ‘alternative military service’ security staff (or whatever their role) who just stood by and watched. Probably didn’t want to get injured …
I saw the coverage from CTTV and others, who are the thugs dressed in black attacking the DPP people? I’m sorry but attacking thugs dressed in black are not Pan Green especially if they happen to be attacking pan-green people.
Anyway as for the highly limited excerpt that Zuegmite provided, watch the entire coverage here and you see the black thugs stepping out the bus and attacking the Pan Greens and the old man mentioned in this article:
ABOVE, POSTER WROTE: ‘‘From a foreign perspective, the riot made Taiwan society look out of control. …In comparison the footage of Lien in the PRC, which was orderly, well managed, and photo opps galore.’’
Folks -
Thanks for the update info and photos.
My comments about “No Blood” were in reference to the early TV reorts we saw.
Looks like a bit was spilled. I still think it was a laughable spectacle than did nothing but lessen Taiwans world image.
Welcome to Taiwan!!! ha ha ha…this is Taiwanese politics, I was so surprised that they can even get through to the airport doors with all these “weapons”…and the firecrackers…man. makes me wonder whether I feel safe to go to the international gateway to Taiwan in the near future!! :bravo:
What would the people say if the police stop them getting through. “This is my right, we are a democratic country!! This is Human Right!!” you see to often people use “human rights” as an excuse to do things. I mean seriously, the definition of Human Rights in Taiwan is kind of “different” to other countries, ie I can do what ever I want to do as long as
[quote=“ShrimpCrackers”]I saw the coverage from CTTV and others, who are the thugs dressed in black attacking the DPP people? I’m sorry but attacking thugs dressed in black are not Pan Green especially if they happen to be attacking pan-green people.
Anyway as for the highly limited excerpt that Zuegmite provided, watch the entire coverage here and you see the black thugs stepping out the bus and attacking the Pan Greens and the old man mentioned in this article:
ShrimpCrackers - I have repeatedly watched the clip you provided and I can only conclude that you have a serious problem with with observation and analysis.
The “thugs” are rescuing a man after he has been attacked by green T-shirt wearing thugs. The green shirted crowd continues to bully the dark suited police and airport security people and in general are out of control.
The ‘old man’ in the news reel isn’t the one in the story. The man being beaten isn’t being beaten by " thugs dressed in black " and the beaten man is not a pan-green supporter.
Your posting, like your analysis, is absolute b.s.
I think the blame falls squarely on the police. They knew very well in advance that there was going to be trouble and supposedly deployed over 3,000 cops, as well as a further 600 “helpers,” yet failed utterly to maintain order. A bunch of incompetent clowns, just like the rest of the government. A laughing stock. A complete sad and pathetic joke.
Taiwan wants to be taken seriously by the international community? HA! These fucking pricks don’t know what the word even means.
They claim to have many of the thugs on video, complete with explosives, in the airport terminal. Explosives in an airport? What has Greaseball been rabbiting on about to the US about “Taiwan’s part in the war on terror?”
Explosives in an airport. I wonder if any of these fools will be hit with terror-related charges. I surely hope so, but of course it’ll never happen.
Pathetic clowns.
