Pointing fingers is normally a waste of time. In addressing problems determining the root cause should be the goal.
Public appeals to disobedience at the airport prior to Tuesday were not disapproved by any government authority.
The violence at the airport is the responsibility of those engaging in the violence. They should face charges.
The complete lack of security and control at the airport is the responsibility of the airport security manager. He should be removed from office.
The excessive restraint demonstrated by the police on the fringes of the chaos should be cause for demerits all around.
Political viewpoints not withstanding, there should be no room for mob rule in any civilized environment. Regardless of political viewpoint, if you cannot condemn the use of physical force by ‘protesters’ at the airport, you are part of the problem and not part of the solution.
I’ve yet to hear of any arrests made in connection with this pathetic demonstration of Taiwan’s 3rd world status… Although they shold start with the chief of police and the head of airport security… With any luck the international community will see clearly how mob rule clan wars are still the political tool of choice in this banana republic…
I completely agree with Out Of Chaos when he says: [quote]there should be no room for mob rule in any civilized environment. Regardless of political viewpoint, if you cannot condemn the use of physical force by ‘protesters’ at the airport, you are part of the problem and not part of the solution.[/quote]
Taiwan has a complete absence of any kind of Police force in the accepted definition of the word… The pathetic lack of ability by the government and police forces to maintain basic tennets of law and order in the main international airport, what should be one of the most secure environments on the island, when they knew weeks in advance that tensions would be high is an absolute farce… Apologies from officials responsible should be answered with forced resignations, terminations and demotions across the board… an the entire police and security forces and the way they operate should be overhauled and restructured and an end brought to this “pai sai, pai sei” don’t rock the boat village policing mentality… There is no democracy without accountability for your actions…
This entire incident proves that Taiwan is not fit to enter the world stage as a country in it’s own right or anything else and is merely a corrupt, low brow backwater, where sycophantic illegitimate polititians and falsely elected government officials pander to the igorant houndings of uneducated peasant mobs who use fire, clubs and pitchforks as the primary tools of their supposed democracy in order to further their own servile personal and petty party agendas that have nothing to do with Taiwan’s future…
Democracy?.. The Taiwanese don’t even understand the meaning of the word…
They did give themselves a new good reason to use ROC in the island’s name though… TAIWANRight Outta Compton
[quote]This entire incident proves that Taiwan is not fit to enter the world stage as a country in it’s own right or anything else and is merely a corrupt, low brow backwater, where sycophantic illegitimate polititians and falsely elected government officials pander to the igorant houndings of uneducated peasant mobs who use fire, clubs and pitchforks as the primary tools of their supposed democracy in order to further their own servile personal and petty party agendas that have nothing to do with Taiwan’s future…
Democracy?.. The Taiwanese don’t even understand the meaning of the word…
[/quote]
OK, I know about psychics and I know about channeling, but how in god’s name did you manage to do me so completely word for word? Its uncanny!
[quote]This entire incident proves that Taiwan is not fit to enter the world stage as a country in it’s own right or anything else and is merely a corrupt, low brow backwater, where sycophantic illegitimate polititians and falsely elected government officials pander to the igorant houndings of uneducated peasant mobs who use fire, clubs and pitchforks as the primary tools of their supposed democracy in order to further their own servile personal and petty party agendas that have nothing to do with Taiwan’s future…
Democracy?.. The Taiwanese don’t even understand the meaning of the word…[/quote]
Them’s some perdy nasty fightin’ words. Pure nonsense. But I do admire your use of them really BIG words.
The sheer arrogance of the post astounds me.
So you came to these profoundly sweeping conclusions from this incident? You wrote off an entire population of 23 million from this particular incident? Mob violence and deliberate instigation of such is of course deplorable and should not go unpunished and unaccounted for. The violence that happened and that was allowed to happen at CKS was inexcusable. But using it to draw such conclusions about Taiwanese and the country as a whole is really reaching.
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 …[/quote]
What is this chief of police talking about…Did he not watch the local news for the last 2 weeks?..had he no idea that there was going to be protests?..I think it’s too late to make excuses and give apologies…I’m sure everyone saw this coming from far away!..The police have sunk to a new low in Taiwan!
Folks, you’ve just got to go out and get today’s Apple Daily. The front pagephoto is an absolute classic. Pan-green woman flings egg at pan-blue geezer, photo catches precise moment of impact.
Check out the photo Zeugmite posted. That’s the same woman, isn’t it? Lurking with intent with a handbag full of eggs. Or are those boxes full of eggs on the floor, cleverly smuggled past the ever-vigilant cops?
Amazing. So, we are expected to believe the government does not approve of this? I heard Frank Hsieh tell parliament that those responsible would be brought to justice. I didn’t watch the news tonight either. I will assume the chief constable of the airport poice has resigned already and hundreds of police have been arrested for dereliction of duty.
There is a man standing in fucking Chiang Kai Shek International Fucking Airport (to give it its full title) with a four-foot long sword !!!
If heads do not roll then I will assume the government approved this. Would I be wrong to do so? If I walk into CKS airport tomorrow and start beating the shit out of people, or waving a knife what do you think will happen?
And I’ve just thought of something. If this is what the police are like when faced with a hundred demonstrators, what is the armed forces going to be like if China invades !? Someone please tell me they’re not as completely and utterly worthless as the police.
No Taiwanese person can be happy with this. Surely this does the DPP no good either. I will get the Apple Daily tomorrow - guess the photos will be over.
How many arrests so far? I can’t believe this was in the airport… :loco: Boy am I glad Taiwan has no nukes. Can you imagine if these guys wanted to have a fight in the launch control centre? Who’d stop them?
Taiwanese democracy can be fun though. I bet they all had a great day out. Even the ones with sore heads. Throwing eggs is fun. I used to do it when I was about 8 years old. 'Nuff said.
Using it on its own to draw conclusions is reaching, perhaps, but using it to reinforce nearly 20 years of observation is less of a reach, I feel.[/quote]
If your nearly 20 years of observation leads you to that conclusion, so be it. But to come to that conclusion about a people who, albeit contentious and sometimes maddeningly complacent, have made significant progress economically, technologically, and politically in that amount of time is truly unfair. If that were the case, you’d have to come to that conclusion about every country that has brainless and overzealous (they often go hand-in-hand) goons that take to the streets in violent protests, every country that has contentious party politics, every country that has politicians that act in their own selfish interests (gasp what a concept), and every country that has preventable crimes occur. Taiwan is a developing democracy, and because of some quirks unique to Taiwanese culture and politics, some really pathetic, whacky and embarrassing events transpire. But that does not make Taiwan any less fitting “to enter the world stage in it’s (sic) own right or anything else.”
What I do agree with is that the police forces in Taiwan are truly anemic. I don’t know if it’s that the organizational culture and leadership trains them to be passive and non-confrontational, or whether the young officers themselves grew up being passive and non-confrontational, and therefore they conduct themselves as such, even in the capacity of law enforcement. Either way, it needs to change. We currently have skinny little bespectacled police officers who are pushed around and even slapped by drunk drivers, pushed around and pelted by bottles by lawless protestors, and shouted down by old men who refuse to move illegally-parked trucks. And now this. The public neither respects nor fears the police.
Both the leadership and organizational culture need to change; the mindset needs to be aggressive and ACTIVE law enforcement, with less discussion and more arrests. And perhaps the officers themselves should hit the weight rooms so as to present a more imposing physical presence. They might benefit from bringing in foreign police as consultants. Maybe the LAPD. That way, in the future, criminals and lawless protestors who so much as touch a police officer will immediately be kissing the pavement with a knee in the back of the neck, handcuffs around the wrists, and a large bump on the head from where the police baton came down. And THEN after that will the officers look down at them apologetically and say, “Pai sei, pai sei.”
I hesitatingly assume that the police can make videotapes of fights better than they can prevent them. In which case, a good chunk of the people responsible for the damage and assaults in the terminal should be readily identifiable, especially all of the Bamboo Union footsoldiers
This incident only furthers the well-deserved stereotype that Taiwan cannot even keep its own house in order, much less that of the greater China their leaders vainly still dream of conquering (ha!). An island of sheer incompetents. Every Taiwanese I have ever talked to has nothing but contempt for their government and police. Out of all the police forces in the world, the only ones I have observed less capable of doing their jobs were in pathetic developing nations like the Philippines and Indonesia. 50 years of “working anarchy” has failed as an experiment. What Taiwan needs is the firm hand of order.
The shocking thing is not that the airport police chief acted that way, most Taiwanese “work” that way. The shocking thing is that someone actually held him accountable!
It’s disgusting, isn’t it? Taiwanese need more accountability. Say what you will about Chiang Kai-Shek, but at least back in his day people were held accountable for their actions. Ever since the ROC has loosened the reins, the Taiwanese people have run wild like little children, doing anything they please with no regard to law or propriety. Taiwan needs a return to law and order. Perhaps an intervention from the mother country to restore it may be necessary…more Taiwanese will welcome such a restoration than you think.
Even Taishang like Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍) changed their minds after seeing and experiencing the PRC first hand
Pure bullshit.[/quote]
There is historical evidence that ROC, Taiwan under CKS would not tolerate political dissident, let alone political demonstrations of this nature.
Lien Chan will be returning in a few more days. James Soong will be doing the same trip in a few weeks. Perhaps the government should have the protest organizers apply for permits so that police will have a better idea on the number people that plan to show up at the airport.
Hopefully the authorities will have learned the proper methods of crowd control, so situations like this cannot erupt. Or there will be more reasons for ROC citizens, like housecat’s spouse and Hsu Wen-lung, to have a change of heart.
