[quote=“TaiwanPsycho”]Managed to record some of the news via my TV card.
He poked the cop in the stomach pretty hard.
myweb.hinet.net/home10/taiwanpsy … -1200(TV40.wmv[/quote]
I don’t think he hit the guy so hard - in fact, I think it was more of a push. The film is sped up a bit, I believe - the swinging of the lens cap on the v8 doesn’t look like a natural speed to me…
Still, he’s nuts to have even touched a cop. You don’t want to give them ANY excuse for a roughing-up. Also, he loses credibility and the legitimacy of any gripes he may have disappears completely.
No, the actual film footage on TV news shows …shows him hitting the cop in the stomach pretty hard, much more than a push. It was a jab, with his left hand. i think he is a righty, so the left handed jab was not that strong, true, but it was hard enough to make the cop react like the wind had been knocked out of him…
No-one will ever get between the Taiwanese and their God given right to abuse their South East Asian / Mainland Chinese wifes / slaves / maids.
It is worth pointing out in favour of the Taiwanese media, that abuse of domestics and spouses is getting a reasonably high profile of late. I have also noticed a shift in the reporting of Chinese women here from “nasty disease-ridden whores for whom hanging is too good” to “victims of snakeheads and Taiwan’s insatiable desire for prostitutes” - which can only be a good thing.
Next thing I’d like to see in an expose into the activities of Taiwanese businessmen in China. Likely ?
I’ve talked with him over the net. He seems like a decent guy. I figure he’s pretty new to Taiwan and just didn’t know what to do when he had a very serious problem. I believe something like the story we’re getting here must have happened and he just flipped out–not a good thing in Taoyuan County. Really a shame.
I am sure you read the preceeding posts so please accept my apology for calling you a wing nut.
You are obviously a courageous individual. I admire you for standing up like that for someone whom I am assuming you did not even know very well.
Still though I can’t help but wonder why you poked that policeman in the stomach. Obviously you were trying to provoke the police but what for? Didn’t you know they were filming you? Didn’t you realize that it would jepordize you credibility?
I think a lot of people are confused about this. Thanks.
[b]Just as an aside, I have also spent the last few days receiving emails like the ones below. Granted I have received a couple of letters of support too. But let me tell you for me, I
This is Paul again,
As for pushing the policeman I agree it was definitely one of the stupidest things I have done in my life. I am not a violent person; I was just trying to film the truth. But I made a big mistake. I don
Wow that is a bit scary. But you might want to keep in mind that annonymity makes tough guys out of a lot of real cowards. This isn’t as big a deal to them as it is to you and after a week or so they will probably have forgotten all about it. If people are offering apologies though you might want to offer up one of your own. Clearly it was a mistake to punch that cop but you were extremely upset at the time and lost your better judgement for a moment. A heart felt apology goes a long way in this culture. If I were you I would apologize for that and then focus on what you can do for the filipina lady. If you do that the decent people in this society will be on your side and there are lots of people like that. You might want to consider a little vacation as well. Preferably somewhere outside the country.
I don’t think your situation is all that drastic. In fact I can see how it may work out very well since there is nothing more intimate than forgiveness and Taiwanse love that kind of intimacy. If you acknowledge, publicly, that what you did was wrong and then explain how you were driven to make that mistake…Well, the only ones who won’t be able to forgive you will be the ones who want to continue abusing someone. To the rest you will be a heroic, if somewhat foolish character. Not such a bad thing in a culture that prizes humility as one of it’s highest virtues. Heck most of us waiguorens just get to be foolish characters. You get to be a hero!
I’m sorry that I was misled by the TV coverage into drawing negative conclusions about the part you played in this extremely unfortunate incident. I can now see very clearly that, apart from your mistake in whopping the cop in the guts, your actions were entirely laudable. The whole story is highly depressing in what it says about this society, its police, media, and politicians, the deeply ingrained racism of many of its members, and much more.
What is needed here is for one of the English-language dailies (Taipei Times, please?) to take up this story and write a full, well-balanced feature about it, to set the record straight. If such a version were also reported prominently in the TT’s sister paper, the Liberty Times, it might prompt some legislator or other person or persons with influence and authority to take it up and do something about it.
The letter from that vile county councillor is tremendously incriminating, and I hope there will be some way in which it can eventually be used against her in the criminal and civil courts. She has admitted to committing a serious and completely unjustifiable assault, for which she would almost certainly be sentenced to imprisonment in the UK and many other Western countries.
Take care, and I hope you’ll come through this with no further unpleasant consequences, that the Taiwanese people will learn the whole truth of this incident, and that justice will prevail.
When I saw this incident reported on TV, most channels did not show Paul getting slapped, but it did show everything else.
I surfed numerous channels at different times and I only saw him getting slapped once. I am very surpised that most news shows did not think that a councilor slapping a foreigner handcuffed in police station was newsworthy.
So, now what Paul? You were hugging that slap-happy councilor the last time I saw you on TV. I guess that means you’re not going to sue?
I have lost the thread of this as I rarely watch tv (it is insidiously evil) so I if Paul has been on tv again I have not seen it. I did see the clip someone posted here and it was a good poke the cop took in the stomach. Has there been a public kiss and make up? If so, probably a good thing but if not I would just let the matter die out. It all kind of depends on whether you want to be a long timer in Taiwan or plan to head out after a year or so. If it is the former a public apology to the slugged cop would be a good idea (letter or live statement or whatever). If you are a short timer then just let it blow over, they would have deported you by now if they wanted to.
These confrontationy things are a real bad idea in this society. I have learned from my own stupidity. The Taiwanese are very emotional and things can get out of hand in this society quickly, especially if it involves foreigners. You will never really know who holds power here and who doesn’t and that is the crux of the game. Paul’s intentions were quite honorable and there is nothing wrong with trying to right a wrong when you can but confrontations are a no-no, especially with cops or the government as they hold all the cards. There will never be some groundswell of public support for a foreigner here, so publicity will get you nowhere. Better to do things the Hartzel way, slow and steady and through formal channels. And you have to choose your battles.
It is best to keep your nose real clean here and mind your own business on the whole. I have learned to keep my head down and try not attract negative attention. And with my Irish temper that is no easy trick.
But as for those threatening emails, they are unlikely to come to anything. That’s just people blowing off steam. You are more likely to be the victim of retribution if you park in someone’s parking space here. Still it would be best to watch you and your families back for a while and perhaps change addresses. The vacation suggestion might be a consideration too but even if you do neither I doubt anything would come of it.
Suing is an option. I think the city councillor was way out of line. She said something to the effect of “How can you treat us Chinese like this? This is China!” and slapping him was a way to wake him up -assuming you were drunk. This however is not the way to deal with you since it doesn’t concern her at all. She doesn’t view human rights as anything and from her statement above, she was very discriminatory.
Try to gather support and advice from the Canada trade office and see if a legislator can also help you out.
Tell the councillor you owe her a slap and two kicks to the head and then call it even!
Also there was media bias on the two days. The first day showed you as the victim and the second day showed you in a different light.
Media bias? Taiwan media deserves an award for its taking it to new levels, there is nothing here but media bias.
Spack wrote:
In all likelihood Spack was watching KMT owned or sympathetic stations, they aren’t about to show her in a bad light.
As for the lawsuit; good luck brother. A foreigner winning a lawsuit over a government rep, opposition party or not? We’ll see one elected president first.
[quote=“sandman”] Name me one country in the world where the police would not pound a drunk guy who assaulted them. Come on. Just one.
[/quote]Name one democratic country (except Glasgow) where the police are allowed to beat a man lying on the floor handcuffed, or allow people to walk in off the street and kick him in the face ?
