Netizens have launched a campaign to post angry messages on the Facebook page of the Novotel Hotel at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and leave negative comments about it on Tripadvisor, after hotel staff and a group of “unidentified people” expelled rights activist and lawyer Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) and other members of Democracy Tautin on Wednesday before China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) was to meet Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦).
“Be prepared that someone may break into your room at any time when you stay at this hotel,” Facebook user Pplillian Tang wrote on the hotel’s page.
“The staffs of this hotel broke in a room with some people who didn’t show any identification. It’s not a good choice for you to stay in Taiwan because there’s no one responsible for your safety in this hotel,” Yu Kuan-yi (余冠毅) wrote in English on Novotel’s page.
Photo: Reuters
Chiang Ping-lun (江昺崙) wrote sarcastically: “This hotel is very safe. If you suspect that there are too many people in the room next door, or you don’t like them walking around in the middle of the night, you can call the police and break into the room. This is certainly the best security you can find anywhere in the world, as it matches that of a prison.”
Dozens of netizens flooded the Novotel page with a message written in English, Chinese and Japanese saying: “Warning, this hotel is not safe at all. Their staff will illegally break into your room with police without your permission or a valid search warrant if your political tendency is against that of the [Chinese Nationalist Party] KMT or CPC [Chinese Communist Party].”
Other netizens urged their fellow Internet users to post negative reviews of the hotel on Tripadvisor, or paralyze its reservation system by making too many bookings.
Novotel says its staff entered Lai’s room out of safety concerns, since the number of people in the room exceeded the amount allowed and the management was unable to contact them.
It also said it may consider taking legal action if netizens paralyze its reservation system.
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