Sun, Aug 28, 2011 page2

• Video of girlie posters at air force base sparks row

  PINUPS: An official from the air force said the room had now been redecorated with posters of muscular men, but pilots said this made them feel uncomfortable

  • By Lo Tien-pin / Staff Reporter
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  A leaked video showing pictures of naked women in a combat pilots’ rest area sparked controversy last week.

  A person surnamed Huang (黃), who was recently discharged from Cingcyuangang Air Force Base, posted a 49-second video online late on Thursday night that quickly became a hotly discussed topic on the Web.

  The video posted by Huang began with a view of the 7th squadron leader’s room from the hallway and took in the name of an air force colonel, surnamed Ching (荊), before it moved into the “Air Crew Counseling and Stress Release Room.”

  In the middle of the room was the squadron’s wolf-head insignia, while another wall was entirely covered with pictures of naked women and there was a row of women’s lingerie by the door.

  The video was narrated by Huang, who said that the room had been decorated to the personal liking of the squadron leader and was refitted by the air crew under the guise of “mental counseling and pressure release.”

  “How is it that the military can have such a room? This is ridiculous, this is our military!” Huang said.

  The air force quickly contacted Huang and asked him to remove the video immediately.

  An official from the air force yesterday admitted that the video footage was from the 7th squadron of the fighter wing stationed at Cingcyuangang Air Force Base, and added that when the squadron was refitting the room for the air crew, many of the pilots had felt that it needed some pictures of beautiful women to “boost morale,” but the situation had gotten out of hand.

  The official said the squadron’s leader had not proposed the idea and that when the fighter wing sent someone over to inspect the room after the incident, they said it was “inappropriate” and ordered that the lingerie and pictures be taken down immediately.

  The incident does not merit disciplinary action, the official said.

  When asked what the room looks like now, the official said it was decorated with pictures of guns, race cars and posters of muscular men.

  However, the pilots have said they find the redecorated room strange and makes them feel uncomfortable, and that pictures of beautiful women were more to their taste, the official said.

  The video sparked heated discussion among netizens, with many saying it was abnormal and made people feel uncomfortable, as it is not just men who serve in the military.

  This type of display objectifies females and is very disrespectful, some netizens said.

  Others, however, said that combat pilots’ rest areas all over the world often look like this because it is a good way to wind down, adding that Huang was over-reacting.

  “Who didn’t have a few pictures of beautiful women on the walls when they were in the military?” one netizen asked.

  Some netizens were also critical of Huang, saying that “although they did not know what the squadron leader would do [to him], Huang is definitely going to get it,” because taking film equipment onto a base and posting video footage was in violation of base regulations.

  The controversy follows that of the military’s Missile Command, which last week was dealing with fallout after a female officer posted inappropriate pictures of herself online during her off-base hours.

  Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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