No sacrifices here
Taiwan never ceases to amaze. The nation’s putative leaders have removed their nag of a former leader to explore new ground in political irony.
Case in point: Only in Taiwan could the police tear the national flag out of patriots’ hands to protect the feelings of a visiting official from a country that constantly threatens to invade. If that kind of flag desecration happened in the US, Americans would go nuts. It happens in Taiwan and barely causes a stir.
The lesson I take from this event is that Taiwan has weak national symbols and a weak national soul. Perhaps that is only to be expected given its history. The Taiwanese from the mainland still long for their “mother”; Hoklo and Hakka Taiwanese are uneasy about the KMT’s white star on a blue square dominating their national flag; and the Aborigines are probably still hoping for a miracle to take all flavors of Chinese away.
Then again, this weak national soul may be for the best. History shows that vibrant national identity is born in bloodshed protecting the homeland. Judging by their KMT leaders, Taiwanese are not ready to make that kind of sacrifice.
Thomas Ebele
Banciao, Taipei County
Justice to be proud of
I read the open letter by various academics and writers posted on your Web site that voices concerns about the justice system in Taiwan and on the indictment of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on charges of money laundering, embezzlement and demanding and accepting bribes (“Open letter on erosion of justice in Taiwan,” Nov. 6, page 8).
The due process and special consideration that were extended to Chen, such as not being handcuffed when he was escorted to his detention facility after being indicted, should be viewed as necessary and proper.
Like everyone else, I am against any political influences on justice. But we should never condone crimes involving money laundering, embezzlement and accepting bribes that are committed by government officials, especially those in the highest position.
If those supporters never questioned or expressed concern about the judicial system in Taiwan under the Chen administration during eight years of rule, then they should have no reason to be concerned now. Nov. 11 was a glorious day for the Taiwanese justice system, which finally regained its independence and restored some trust among the majority of the Taiwanese people.
Taiwan’s image may have been damaged thanks to one ex-president’s possible corruption and its categorization as one of those corrupt Southeast Asian governments, but no one should doubt it has a functioning justice system.
Frank Chang
Thousand Oaks, California
Editor’s note: Chen Shui-bian is yet to be indicted on any charge.
The real beast
Page 2 of your Nov. 2 edition had a photo showing a great white shark having its stomach ripped open and its contents examined by Taiwanese fishery workers. Ironically, the photo was placed next to an article on wild bird conservation efforts. That was a sign of poor journalistic integrity.
The grotesque photo, entitled “Belly of the Beast” and proudly announcing that this was the largest great white landed in the port of Nanfangao in the last 20 years, is despicable. As a local diver in Taiwan and marine enthusiast, I found this appalling and deserving of rebuttal.
First, sharks are a crucial part of our fragile marine ecosystems. Sharks are endangered and recent global efforts on behalf of a multitude of organizations and governments have sought to protect these magnificent creatures from the brink of extinction.
Second, sharks are still being hunted for irresponsible commercial reasons. Around the world over 100 million sharks are killed each year, with their skins used to make leather products, shark teeth used to make tacky ornamental jewelry, and shark cartilage often falsely touted as a cure for cancer.
However, the No. 1 reason sharks are caught and slaughtered is to make the Oriental delicacy “shark fin soup.” After drying the fin the collagen fibers are extracted, cleaned and processed to be sold in Asian restaurants, despite the fact that this so-called delicacy has little flavor or nutritional value. Sharks often take hours or even days to die after being finned.
It is a crying shame that a great white was photographed for curious onlookers in such a manner without any accompanying text to educate the public on the plight of sharks around the world.
While many countries have enacted legislation forbidding capture of sharks, Taiwanese fishermen continue to hunt them for their fins.
It is no wonder that this specimen was the largest to be caught in 20 years, because sharks rarely get a chance to live so long. It is particularly disheartening that this great white, which had managed for so long to evade human predators, wound up on its back with its belly viciously slashed open on the docks of Nanfangao.
Indeed, who is the real beast, the shark or us?
Paul Oliver
Kaohsiung
Editor’s note: The Taipei Times quite regularly publishes stories and pictorial material relating to animal cruelty, animal rescue and conservation efforts to inform readers of the reality of the treatment of animals in this country, and not out of salacious intent.
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