Roson (羅森), a renowned Taiwan-born wuxia (“martial arts and chivalry”) novelist who shot to fame in Taiwan for having mature content in his works, has moved his career to China several years ago. He settled down in Zhuhai in Guangdong Province while managing a novel Web site for years.
He was arrested earlier this year and given a 12-year sentence for “producing, selling or disseminating obscene articles for profit,” according to online reports.
News of him serving a sentence first appeared on Chinese gaming Web site NGA and shortly after, the news spread to Professional Technology Temple’s gaming bulletin board.
Rumors had it that Roson’s family tried to contact the Straits Exchange Foundation for assistance.
Finally, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office acknowledged that Roson had indeed been arrested in China, but whether he had been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment has not been confirmed.
Roson was never shy about showing his pro-China sentiments when he was in Taiwan. He used to make blatant remarks such as “if the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] comes, I surrender, period.”
When a 25-year-old Houston Rockets fan in China threatened to burn the Chinese flag in protest of a dispute between Beijing and the NBA team and was put behind bars hours later, Roston showed no sympathy for the fan and even said the penalty “serves him right.”
After news of Roson’s arrest went viral, most Taiwanese Internet users felt no pity for him, using his own words, “serves him right,” to deridingly describe his situation.
From Roson’s case, the public should know that whenever one literally trespasses in sensitive areas controlled by China, it would be futile to attempt sycophancy or bootlicking. China is a country governed by a party rather than by rule of law. Unlike other countries, Chinese legal governance is often volatile and unstable, and worse, it is often manipulated at will to work in line with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) own legal interpretations.
As a result, detrimental legislation has been put in place, and the purpose is to regulate press freedom. The CCP used to turn a blind eye to some shady profit-making behaviors, but it started to clamp down on those activities when the CCP intended to “tighten” its ideology.
Local governments would also confiscate personal assets and property to make up for financial shortfalls. After all, the Chinese government has always enjoyed a good “harvest” of “Chinese leeks.”
Roson’s current plight is a result of China’s malicious regime and the avarice and rapaciousness of others.
In view of next month’s presidential election, Taiwanese should make their picks carefully and use their ballots to protect their democracy. This would safeguard an imperfect yet free way of life.
If they choose to cast their ballots for a pro-China party and hence push Taiwan toward becoming a territory controlled by China — just like what happened to Hong Kong — it is highly likely that everyone would become the next Roson, and by then, it would be too late.
Roger Wu works in the service industry and is a part-time freelance writer.
Translated by Rita Wang
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