Concentric patriotism Association (CPA) head Zhang Xiuye (張秀葉) was filmed shouting at police outside Taipei 101 on Monday last week in a video posted on YouTube.
The video shows Zhang — a Chinese married to a Taiwanese man — repeatedly provoking the police, at one point even kicking an officer, and shouting: “It would be no use for you to replace even 10 Xinyi District police chiefs,” a reference to Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) warning about replacing police personnel.
Ever since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office, due to the jurisdictional powers of the National Police Administration and the powers of prosecutors, the police have been free to follow the government’s line and be soft on Chinese in Taiwan.
When Zhang assaulted a police officer on duty, she violated Article 135 of the Criminal Code, which defines the offense as “obstructing officers in discharge of their duties” and states that such behavior is punishable by up to three years in prison. However, the police did not dare arrest Zhang, even though she was caught in the act.
Compared with the repressive tactics that the police used against unarmed students, teachers and doctors, who were seen walking around with blood dripping from their heads outside the Executive Yuan on March 24 last year, with some of them receiving court summons for “obstructing officers in discharge of their duties,” it is quite evident that the police have one rule for Chinese, and another for Taiwanese.
An even clearer-cut example is an incident in 2010, when Ni Zichuan (倪子川), a Chinese official from the Fengze District office in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, was allegedly caught twice shoplifting skincare products, worth about NT$200, in Hsinchu. In view of his official position and the minimal value of the stolen products, Hsinchu prosecutors declined to charge him and decided to let him go.
Compare this with the case of the old woman in Greater Taichung who was found picking chrysanthemums on the roadside — which cost about NT$20 — and was then arrested, questioned for seven hours and forced to settle out of court before finally being released.
The mo st serious case, however, happened in 2013, when Liu Zhongkui (劉忠奎), the president of a Chinese cultural and arts management firm, allegedly sexually assaulted a 20-year-old hotel intern in his hotel room.
The police listed the case as sexual harassment, writing a brief three lines in the case file, while prosecutors did nothing to pursue the case. Liu was allowed to leave Taiwan the next day, without having to face any legal proceedings.
The police insist on being soft on Chinese, even when a Taipei police officer is assaulted, and the assailant is allowed to get away with it.
It is no wonder that Ko was so angry he resorted to coarse language when something like this occurs on the streets of the nation’s capital.
Huang Di-ying is a lawyer.
Translated by Paul Cooper
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.