We are high class mainlanders! -- Kuo Kuan-yingPlenty of light entertainment was provided today by the return of Kuo Kuan-ying, the raving mainlander bigot and former GIO employee in Toronto, to claim his pension. The pro-KMT China Post wrote:
Fan Lanqin, homophones in Chinese for “pan-blue respectable,” is the pen name Kuo used to write articles insulting the native-born islanders of the now nominally existing province of Taiwan.Chang An-loh (-le) is one of the island's most prominent gangsters, with old connections to the KMT security apparatus dating back to the 1980s. Chang now resides in China. Chang is solidly pro-KMT and his Bamboo Union gang often appears in stories like this (post on Chang at Taiwan Matters!). A couple of years ago I wrote in a post on Tang Yi-shou, the bullet maker in the Chen Assassination case who fled Taiwan to live in China with Chang...
He calls himself a “superior out-of-province” man and the islanders “Taiwan yokels” and describes Taiwan as a “Ghost Island,” a renegade province of the People's Republic which should take it over by force and place it under military rule.
More than 100 islanders tried to mob Kuo when he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport from Toronto via Vancouver at 6 a.m. yesterday.
But a score of black-dressed young men tried to shield Kuo, and a few of the protesting crowd, including a press reporter, complained they were beaten up, airport police said.
Chang An-loh, a founder of the Bamboo Union mob family now staying in China, told the TVBS cable TV channel he sent members of his “Chinese Unification Promotion Party” in Taipei to protect Kuo, who is an old friend.
Maddog reminded me in a private email that Chang An-lo is connected to Lin Chen-chieh, that gentleman who beat up a democracy supporter on TV -- and who showed up at Shih Ming-teh's anti-Chen protest and wanted to be his bodyguard (Lin is actually Chairman of Chang An-lo's political party). Wang Lan, who runs the female arm of the Bamboo Union gang, the Phoenix Corps, also volunteered to help bodyguard Shih Ming-teh. These gangsters are all pro-Blue -- Chang has ancient connections to Taiwan's martial law-era security services and was involved in the 1984 murder of writer Henry Liu -- just to keep the dizzying conections coming -- who was once a dinner pal of current PFP Chairman and KMT turncoat James Soong. Shih Ming-teh himself is connected to Chen Yu-hao, the notorious embezzler, who is apparently under the thumb of the Chinese government. Chang and his Bamboo Union gang pals all have China connections as well.The Taipei Times gave a much more detailed account of the affray:
As Kuo walked toward the lobby, he was confronted by a group of DPP supporters including Taipei City Councilor Wang Hsiao-wei (王孝維), Chang Chia-ling (張嘉玲) and Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培). The latter two have expressed an interest in running in city council elections later this year.In both stories people actually publicly cheer Kuo on. Ouch. I especially love the detail of the " about 20 men wearing black" who accompanied Kuo -- clearly high-class mainlanders, every one.
“Kuo Kuan-ying apologize, Kuo Kuan-ying apologize,” the crowd shouted, while others said: “I am a taibazi [“Taiwanese redneck,”台巴子],” referring to a term Kuo used in one of his articles to describe Taiwanese.
Flanked by about 20 men wearing black, Kuo did not respond, but some of his supporters shouted back: “What nonsense are you talking about. Why should [Kuo] apologize?”
A fierce melee then broke out between DPP supporters and Kuo’s escorts, with Wang later claiming that Kuo’s escorts beat up several DPP supporters and reporters.
Kuo was pushed into a waiting vehicle, prompting a high-speed car chase by several reporters’ vehicles on the freeway from Taoyuan to Taipei and then along streets in Taipei City.
The chase ended when Kuo got out of the car and walked onto Minquan Bridge in Neihu, with photographers in hot pursuit. Kuo then jumped into a waiting taxi, which sped away.
DANGEROUS MANEUVERS
Kuo’s driver performed a number of dangerous maneuvers while driving at high speed to try to lose chasing cars. At one point, he drove the wrong way down streets, running red lights and hitting an ETTV cable channel vehicle while making a high-speed turn near Wuxing Street.
An employee at the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), established by Chang An-le, said the party had arranged for different cars to carry Kuo during the chase, including two taxis belonging to the Grand Chinese Taxi Association, a chapter of the party.
On one occasion during the chase, Kuo walked into 〝Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT station, where he was confronted by Chang Chia-ling and her supporters, with several passengers cheering for Kuo.
_______________________
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!
One more incident of recent note:
ReplyDeleteAfter the whole incident where DPP Tainan City Councilman Wang Ting-yu appeared to have caused a Chinese official to trip over, he was threatened by Taiwanese gangsters with connections in China.
The Bamboo Union is a mainlander (waisheng) gang started in the military villages, cesspools of hatred towards the Taiwanese around them. Though, these Mainlander gangs today have branched to include Minnan, Hakka as well.
It's especially disheartening to read about people cheering Kuo. Even if they are pro-China, don't they want a "harmonious society" in which ethnic groups respect each other?! Kuo really brought out the ugly side (truth) of the mainlanders.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what's the deal with the car chase in the capital city? Is this a banana republic? Why didn't police stop the chase to ensure public safety?
It's time for people in Taiwan to wake up and stand up.
He's been outed, fired and brought back from his post. The man is clearly mentally ill - it's time to ignore him and forget about him. Continuing to give him attention just gives him a platform for his delusions.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me in yesterday's Taipei Times article were the last six paragraphs:
ReplyDeletePresidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said some people have criticized Ma for being weak because he waited 14 days before coming out to denounce Kuo, but the president had a legitimate reason for doing so.
When the news broke, Wang said there was no concrete evidence proving that Kuo was Fan.
“As the president, how could he not know a person should be presumed innocent before he is proven guilty? How could he not wait until the truth was uncovered?” he asked.
Wang said credibility and correct judgment were essential to Ma, especially when it concerned human rights.
“Once the president gets into the habit of being too strong, he or she might be criticized for ignoring human rights or behaving like a dictator,” Wang said. “We are still haunted by the horrors of the White Terror, are we not?”
“At least our president attaches more importance to protecting human rights than cultivating an image of strength,” he said. “Affirming human rights might seem weak, but in reality it’s extremely strong.”
It is very frightening that the 'president' (a term even he doesn't use half of the time) is ready to allow for the presumption of guilt as long as your crimes and allegiance are blue, but doesn't seem to encourage this to the same degree if they happen to be green. In cases where the alleged malfeasance is green 'concrete evidence' hasn't appeared to be so necessary.
Furthermore, it is wholly inexcusable that the White Terror was used to justify Ma's position given that it was a KMT crime against the Taiwanese people and Kuo's prejudiced duplicity, left unchecked, would potentially led to further crimes against them. Wang should be ashamed of himself to abuse the pain of so many Taiwanese people in a manner that only serves to defend the group that perpetrated those atrocities in the first place. Truly shocking how low the present administration will stoop and how deep the memory hole is.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteMy comments are unrelated to this post, but I wanted to thank you for your recent commentary on the blog about comparisons between the US and Taiwanese systems.
I noted the story of Dr. David Ho, who discovered the "AIDS cocktail." Dr. Ho was born in Taiwan but moved to the US. He said if he'd stayed in Taiwan his whole life, he never would have made the discovery, nor would he if he had been born in the US and always educated here. Clearly, it's not one or the other, but a combination of both.
I am also pleased to discover your blog, as I lived in Taichung for five years (1992-97) and taught at Hess Language School. I occasionally check Taiwan blogs because I still have a fondness for the island. In fact, my wife and I have often thought of returning with our kids (4 and 7) for a year or two. I applied for possible position at TAS last year, but the position didn't materialize. We're still keeping an eye out, though. I've considered looking at colleges as well, as I knew a couple professors at Dung Hai (sp?) when we were there.
When I was in Taichung, I was fresh out of college, with a teaching degree but no experience. Now, I've been teaching for fifteen years, and I have an MA in English. Of course, I love my current high school and teaching position - AP English at one of the top schools in Colorado, so I'd have to weigh the risks of losing my schedule. But sometimes the "lychee" and "chou dofu" call me.
I'll keep checking your blog, as you seem to have created an extensive source for commentary on one of my favorite parts of the world.
Thanks for giving me a new source of information.
“As the president, how could he not know a person should be presumed innocent before he is proven guilty? How could he not wait until the truth was uncovered?” he asked."
ReplyDeleteWhat Wang was doing was trying to change the topic surreptitiously. Ma was perfectly capable of saying:
1) These racist statements against Taiwanese will not be tolerated. They should be condemned, no matter who said them.
2) Officials in the govt will be held to a higher standard and will not be allowed to freely publish racist opinions...
What's so hard about that? Kuo might not have been the perpetrator but he was perfectly capable of condemning the perpetrator right from the beginning.
Has it ocurred to anyone the reason why there may be little sympathy or substantive worldwide support for Taiwan?
ReplyDeleteIf Kuo, the Paris representative to Taiwan, and presumably others members of the diplomatic corps all represent Taiwan as a redneck backwater while advocating annexation, what hope is there for Taiwan as anything else?
craig, i'm not giving him a platform. The reason this Kuo thing is so important is that these attitudes are so ingrained among mainlanders. I am planning another post on it this weekend, with more of this stuff.
ReplyDeleteMazenko,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great comment! Welcome aboard.
Michael: "The reason this Kuo thing is so important is that these attitudes are so ingrained among mainlanders."
ReplyDeleteFirst, just to be clear, I agree with you on Taiwan issues most of the time.
But there is some nuance about this "mainlander" issue.
One, not all "mainlanders" have the same attitude as Kuo.
Two, lots of people are like me having one parent coming from mainland in 1948 and one parent whose family has been in Taiwan for more than 200 years. Somehow no matter the fact that I am born in Taiwan and has a Taiwanese mother, I am still being called a mainlander by others and deemed untrustworthy. God knows why.
True, that some "mainlanders" think themselves above the "Taiwanese". But I just want to make sure that in the process to condemning this behavior, one does not use a thick brush to alienate millions of innocent people. Don't we need all the support we can get to help Taiwan's independence?
Meg
Somehow no matter the fact that I am born in Taiwan and has a Taiwanese mother, I am still being called a mainlander by others and deemed untrustworthy.
ReplyDeleteHi Meg, I want to say I feel for you given that I am bensheng but have met many untrustworthy bensheng in various dealings =).
I want to point out that many people that are "half" like you (at least the older ones) have a mainland father and a bensheng mother. And that it was the KMT's rule that codified that the child always belongs to the father and that the child's province is inherited from the father. So my experience is that those in that situation generally identify as mainlander and rarely as anything else.
Not justifying it either way--I welcome an inclusive Taiwanese identity that includes anyone living in Taiwan that cares about this country and agrees with a multicultural democratic system.
"Don't we need all the support we can get to help Taiwan's independence? - Meg"
ReplyDeleteSorry Meg. TI is about exclusion, not inclusion. TI leaders define the term "Taiwanese" as a reflection of themselves and then work hard to exclude all that do not fit their definition.
Don't let the TI fool you with their talk of democracy. Their goal is nothing less than the overthrow of Taiwan's government, ethnic clensing, and de-Sinification, democratically or not.
Meg, I hate to break this to you but you will never be accepted as a true Taiwanese by the TI folks.
That was some crazy sh**t! Some people will always be there to mess up the world. I also found this interesting post when digging: http://levitator.blogspot.com/2008/11/wolf-is-in-charge-couple-of-years-ago-i.html
ReplyDeleteA group of 23 high-profile Chinese senior citizens flew into Taipei from Beijing Friday, one day before Tomb-Sweeping Day, for a 10-day visit in the land where they were born but have grown apart from over the past 60 years.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan-relations/2009/04/04/202958/23-Taiwan-born.htm
"Their goal is nothing less than the overthrow of Taiwan's government, ethnic clensing, and de-Sinification, democratically or not."
ReplyDeleteHaha, anon, are you one of those pan-Blue politicians that goes into military villages and tries to scare the shit out of the old veterans into voting Blue?
What the hell are you babbling about? What evidence do you have of Taiwanese independence supporters supporting ethnic cleansing???
The Blues always calim, we are all Taiwanese, why is the DPP stirring up ethnic conflict, then they go to deep-Blue areas and say what you just said and try to scare the bejezuz out of them to get them to vote KMT.
Very interesting that you would bother reading Micheal Turton's blog too...
Most “mainlanders” I have met display allegiance in some fashion, fuzzy or sharp, to things-as-they-have-been in Taiwan, so I think, Meg, that you’re soft-peddling the scope of “mainlander” allegiance. Certainly there are no “millions” of waisheng-bensheng children who don’t fit this bill. I agree, though, that it’s vital that the views of mainlanders and bensheng-waisheng mixes who support self-determination for Taiwan be respected as valid and as equal in value and importance to the view of any and every benshengren.
ReplyDeleteTI is as TI does. The opposing-cultures "team-sport" coloration of this constellation of issues is absurd; any mainlander or child-of-a-mainlander who supports self-determination is as much a member of the universally-applied-principles club as the most committed bensheng TIer is, and is, on average, I would say, more so by dint of the certainty of their having transcended "ethnic" or cultural "values."
Values are always grounded in prejudice of one kind or another, and many TIers are as prey to them as Chinese-culture chauvinists are; far too few people in Taiwan are focusing on supporting universally-applied principles. Until the team-sport approach diminishes, Taiwan’s politics will remain noxious. Bensheng ascendency without a firm commitment to universally-applied principles produced the debacle and waste of the Chen years. (Sure, “Taiwanese” identity deepened, but did DPP policy accomplish that or was it mostly time itself that furthered such identity? There seem to be few Chen-year policy “achievements” that have not proved amenable to rapid reversal.) How would bensheng ascendency do better next time -- if there is a next time -- if it remains mired in judging and acting along "ethnic"/cultural lines?
Universally-applied principles are always hanging like ripe fruit before us, just waiting to be picked. And it is the “harmony” value that stays people’s hands from reaching up and picking the fruit. “Harmony” may not be originally responsible for polarized politics, but it is the means by which such stridently disharmonious politics are maintained. If politics that serves Taiwan’s future is what is sought, the “harmony” value must be outed, because it will brook no end-runs. The only way past “harmony” is through it -- is to expose it for the philosophical-moral-psychological-logical crock that it is and thus relax its grip. Until this happens, Taiwan and Taiwanese – benshengren and waishengren alike – will keep paying a very steep price: the ongoing forfeiture of any good future.