Friday, May 17, 2013

Phils/Taiwan Mess Roundup 4: No animal has lower IQ than a nationalist mob screaming for blood


Looking back at his life, it seemed to him that he had been struggling all the time to dam a flood, which, whenever he had checked it, had broken through at a new place, setting him his work to do again. It was the flood of Force Majeur.

The image above is the kind of bullshit that is all over Facebook and the bulletin boards this week, a depressing cycle of stupidity and ignorance morally legitimated by nationalist posturing. The Taiwan media is awful. Most Taiwanese have no idea how their fisherman behave overseas or about any of the politics of the issue. They couldn't tell an EEZ from a hole in the ground. The government simply yanks their nationalist chains and off they go, even petitioning the White House in the best petitioning-the-emperor style in which Taiwanese conduct their foreign affairs. Stories are running around the net of Filipinos refused service (a hoax), and even a beating or two.

There are bullet holes in the front of the boat in that image. This suggests that the boat was head on toward the shooter when those shots were fired. What does that tell you about the Phils story their boat was about to be rammed? All wrong, according to pics provided by Taiwan government. See update below.

The government, while condemning Philippines as a bunch of irrational and backward savages...
Premier Jiang pointed out yesterday that Philippine institutions and methodologies differed greatly from ours. 
...Piously called upon the public to show great forbearance toward Pinoys in Taiwan. AP reported that Phils fears for its workers in Taiwan and advised them to eat indoors.

Bloomberg identified the right angle with a story on how this is really sublimated frustration with the incompetence and weakness of the Ma Administration, directed outward, as well as with Taiwan's weak and ambiguous place in the world....
The 60-year-old blamed Ma Ying-jeou, whose approval rating is 14 percent, for an economy that grew at one of the slowest rates in Asia last year, sparking January protests that helped trigger the resignation of Premier Sean Chen. When a Philippine patrol boat crew killed a Taiwanese fisherman a week ago, Liu and others found an outlet for their fear of being bypassed in Asia’s recovery.

“We’ve been frustrated for so long,” Liu said, adding Ma should be even tougher on the Philippines. “We’re so full of anger, so disappointed and dissatisfied with our government.”

Ma is seizing the moment to press President Benigno Aquino for a formal apology as Taiwan grocers pull Philippine goods from stores and travel agencies cancel trips, an approach that risks denting efforts to boost trade ties in Asia. His reaction may say more about Taiwan’s feeling of weakness in a region of emerging powers that don’t officially recognize its government.
Clever of the KMT to harness frustration at the President and Taiwan's international position and redirect at Manila. Just think, people can forget for a moment that wages are at late 1990s levels, that income is stagnating, that housing prices in Taipei and elsewhere are ridiculous, that income equality is getting worse, that the rich are largely untaxed, that the President is a failure in most areas of policy (unless you're rich) etc etc etc. Just need some smaller nation to bully and the national blood pressure will fall.....

...and the DPP has fallen in with this policy! They should be arguing that the apology should be accepted, that things should be resolved quietly instead of loudly (best for the fishermen!), and constantly pointing out how the KMT's policy of isolating Taiwan is backfiring here. The DPP should be pointing out that only China is benefiting from this spat (a hidden motive of the Administration?). And also how Ma is pissing off the US. This is a golden moment for the DPP to take the high road. Argh.

Meanwhile the Premier warned that the boycotts were there to stay.
After the announcement of eleven retaliatory measures against the Philippines, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) sternly declared during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting that the ROC government would wage a prolonged boycott against the Philippines.

Premier Jiang pointed out yesterday that Philippine institutions and methodologies differed greatly from ours. He went on to say that the recent diplomatic row over the fatal shooting incident reflected the difficulties that the two sides had been experiencing in bilateral negotiations over the past several decades, adding that the ROC government’s recent decision to adopt a tougher attitude would mark a decisive turning point in the mode of interactions between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Finally, in the TT Paul Lin nails point after point, noting as many of have that the big winner is China:
The affair has revealed the sovereignty and human rights crises that Taiwan has found itself in with Ma at the helm and, unless things improve soon, these crises will only deepen. Since Taiwan’s sovereignty status problems are leading to human rights violations, the nation needs to reach out to the international community — in particular the US, which is “returning to Asia” — if it wants to turn things around. The US’ return to the region should not be only in a military sense, it also needs to be in terms of promoting universal human rights. This situation is more than just a standoff between two countries: It is a standoff between two opposing sets of values. However, since Ma took office and announced his “diplomatic truce” policy, Taiwan has had to keep silent in the international community.
Thanks to commenter RC on the first post on this for the link to this blog which analyzes the mess. It has an account of the story that rings true. I haven't checked it yet. But one point he makes is that the fishing boats were able to meet up with Taiwan CGA boats to escort them. Do the math. This means they had to have been chased for some period of time, enough to time for the CGA boats to come out to meet them. Which supports the Phils story of a long chase.....

I'm going to read The Once and Future King again. Are humans always doomed to behave like idiots? Is it forever going to be the case that a little dose of nationalism is going to induce amnesia about the incompetence of the government and the media?

UPDATE: Maddog flipped me the Taiwan government information. Bullet holes in the front are exit holes.

The bow:
http://www.moj.gov.tw/public/Attachment/35151627514.pdf

The stern:
http://www.moj.gov.tw/public/Attachment/351516262043.pdf

The cabin:
http://www.moj.gov.tw/public/Attachment/351516251843.pdf

Port (stern section):
http://www.moj.gov.tw/public/Attachment/351516233327.pdf

Port (bow section):
http://www.moj.gov.tw/public/Attachment/351516221042.pdf

Deduced bullet trajectories (diagram):
http://www.moj.gov.tw/public/Attachment/351516203472.pdf

… all found via this page:
http://www.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=305771&ctNode=27518

I'm certainly not saying you should trust this government's version of the events, but do look at those images. The holes near the bow — note that there are only two — are marked as "exit" holes.

and this comment:

Evan
"Stories are running around the net of Filipinos refused service (a hoax)"

Why do you think the stories of Filipinos being refused service are a hoax? We've heard multiple stories from our local Filipino worker community here in Nanzih District, Kaohshiung. And there are newspaper reports of signs being put up at establishments in Changhua.

It actually looks more to me like there's an informal movement on Facebook to discredit the stories by repeating the "where's the evidence" line.

Evan, there was one particular tale of a Filipino who had waited an hour until some kind Taiwanese woman saved him. Hoax, apparently. Thanks for the pointers. Have images of the signs in Changhua?
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28 comments:

Ben Goren said...

There's a powerpoint doing the rounds saying that the boat that got shot up had no marks suggesting it was ramming the PCG vessel. Mysteriously though all reports in taiwan are failing to mention the other three boats reputedly at the scene, any one of which could have tried to, or actually rammed, the PCG vessel in defence of Captain Hung's vessel. Where are the other three boats and their crew and why can't we inspect their hulls? And where is the video / pics from the Filipino side?

Unknown said...

You have to understand that the video is evidence and hence, can't be released to the public until the NBI investigators have gone through it. I know it sounds like we're trying to cover things up but again, this is part of due process. If I'm not mistaken also, the video of the ramming incident between the Japanese Coast Guard and a Taiwanese fishing boat was not released initially until it was leaked on Youtube.

Unknown said...

As to the general mood here in Manila, the whole incident is barely making headlines. Right now, we are more concerned with the results of our midterm elections, the economy and Vin Diesel riding a jeepney around town.

John C said...

Yes I agree that Philippine
Coast Guard need more explanation. The government should conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. Disturbing however were reported beatings against Filipinos in Taiwan. Cannot solve violence with another one. How about Taiwanese got beaten in the Philippines too as retaliation. Or beheaded by radicals because of revenge. Actions of Taiwanese people should be closely monitored and controlled by their government.

chh said...

the other three vessels only exist in phils's news. not in the really world. only one vessel was attacked.

Anonymous said...

Golly, and with that loss of cheap Filipino labor... is there a nearby country that might be looking to offload some workers on the cheap?

Anonymous said...

"No animal has lower IQ than a nationalist mob screaming for blood... "

Unless that animal is a rabid racist Hoodlum in Uniform, armed with deadly weapons, and his actions are unaccountable for since he's in the middle of a vast expanse of water in the Pacific Ocean.

Oftentimes, the loneliness of being out there in the deep blue for so long could make one go postal! Or, bi-polar; or even gay!

Nonetheless, I'm not confident there's going to be a fair investigation, as usual, in Philippines' dysfunctional justice system. It's been more than a week already... and so far no video, or name of culprit. How long does it take for the PCG to doctor those vids to show result of having been rammed by an amateur dingy.

The Hungs would consider them selves lucky if this case comes to dock within one year, if ever at all!! And an eternity to actually get the murderer convicted. Just see this link...

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/52236/flashreport/court-convicts-19-people-in-Betty-Chua-Sy-kidnap-slay-case

Poor Betty's family waited in anguish, for almost a decade to hear this verdict. It's a pyrrhic victory of course because some of these 19 monsters, have in the meantime, kidnapped, killed and maimed so many other innocent victims.

There's rampant extortion kidnap and slaughter in the Philippines. The court system is groaning with overload. What's another dead stiff to them.

http://pcij.org/stories/long-wait-for-justice/

I'm willing to bet this dead fisherman's case will take at least 10 years to resolve (get a proper conviction, etc). Let's have a rendezvous on this blog a decade from today, huh Mr. Turton!

Between 1993 and 2003, 2,330 victims (mostly ethnic Chinese)were kidnapped and some killed. Collectively they paid a total of $1,602,200,000 in ransom blood money. Many abducted were young children, literally babies. Jepson Dechaves' 2 sons were just 2yrs and 4yrs, respectively. Gian Jetho Chua was only 2-1/2 yrs old. There's something sick about this culture that endangers /kills babies as young as such, but condemns the use of condoms. Wacko!

Anonymous said...

A second fishing vessel did come out in the news five days after the incident, although the Taiwan media didn't make too much of it, and avoided the issue altogether of whether both fishing vessels were in Philippine waters or not that day (surprise, surprise).

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E6%94%BB%E6%93%8A%E7%95%B6%E5%A4%A9-%E8%8F%B2%E6%9C%AC%E8%A6%81%E5%86%8D%E8%A5%B2%E7%AC%AC2%E8%89%98%E8%88%B9-140441102.html

Contrary to their dog-with-a-bone nature, the Taiwan media was surprisingly reserved and noncommittal on this one, a lot of Taiwanese people (like Turtle, the poster above, whom I assume is a Taiwanese) didn't even know about it. Makes you think, doesn't it?

I also wonder why the second vessel didn't come forward earlier. I would've thought, with the nation up in such outrage, the other fishing vessels would've jumped out and reiterated the validity of their actions. That is, of course, if they were fishing in their own waters. It's been 9 days. Should we be optimistic and wait for the remaining vessels to come forward?

Anonymous said...

Firstly, the natives of Taiwan and Filipinos are the most genetically linked ppls in the world, thus Taiwanese "Han" are also related as well! Fujianese and Hakka taiwanese settlers are descendants of both Bai Yueh tribes and natives of Taiwan. China wants to divide and conquer, its not a power to make friend with!

Anonymous said...

CHINA PRC eating all this up

Unknown said...

"Unless that animal is a rabid racist Hoodlum in Uniform, armed with deadly weapons, and his actions are unaccountable for since he's in the middle of a vast expanse of water in the Pacific Ocean.

Oftentimes, the loneliness of being out there in the deep blue for so long could make one go postal! Or, bi-polar; or even gay!"

The biggest problem I've been seeing among Taiwanese around the Internet is that there is already a presumption of guilt. Again, the investigation is ongoing. Even your investigators are here doing their own examinations.

"Nonetheless, I'm not confident there's going to be a fair investigation, as usual, in Philippines' dysfunctional justice system. It's been more than a week already... and so far no video, or name of culprit. How long does it take for the PCG to doctor those vids to show result of having been rammed by an amateur dingy."

I won't deny that our justice system is corrupt. However, keep in mind that we are a sovereign country and you have to respect our laws and processes just as we respect yours when one of our nationals is a victim of a crime perpetrated by your citizens.

Mind you also that Manila is a lot safer now than it was back in the 90s. I'm a Chinese Filipino and I don't have to worry about anything bad happening while riding jeepneys, commuting on trains, etc. Of course, taking some of the usual precautions is always prudent but I'm not intimidated from going out on the streets. :)

les said...

A true babarian pirate coastguard crew would not have let that fishing boat go home with one dead crew member. The lot of them would be on the bottom, along with the boat. No evidence.

An old friend from Tainan said...

Michael, Ben,

I'm disgusted by the nationalisms and racism towards the Philippines, and I'm mad (but not surprised) that the Taiwanese media is feeding these things 24/7...

however!

You two (together with Oz) are doing a terrible job in countering that. All I read is speculation after speculation from you guys, while you also lack proper evidence and disregard several facts along the way. Why can't you just wait for a few days, and then write one good piece, instead of daily posts full of UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE, speculation, then strike-through and what not...

Seriously, you're getting sloppy and you're drvien by anger, not by facts. As for Ben, he's always been like that, and I've never thought you'll lower yourself to his level.

(I assume you won't publish this comment, which I don't really mind, I just wanted to tell you what I think)

Insurance blog said...

this is just politics in the part of Taiwan, however, Philippines should pay the family and arrest the murderers. the fisherman clearly don't have guns. you don't shoot anyone unarmed.

Anonymous said...

"A true babarian pirate coastguard crew would not have let that fishing boat go home with one dead crew member. The lot of them would be on the bottom, along with the boat. No evidence."

No, the coast guard just really hated the fisherman who died and had to set all of this elaborate patrols and reports and bait the guy into fishing inside Phil territory to murder him.

At least thats how I imagined what happened based on factual opinions on taiwan news sites. Oh they also think taiwan should own northern tip of luzon (the island) because it falls within 200 NM of the southern tip of Taiwan.

Anonymous said...

On the one hand, you claim that the nationalist mob are idiots and one the other, you concede that the media behaves like a golden retriever. What's a typical Taiwanese to do? I mean, really.

Anonymous said...

"...could make one go postal! Or, bi-polar; or even gay!"

"...there's something sick about this culture that endangers /kills babies as young as such, but condemns the use of condoms."

Michael, do we really need to hear from these homophobic racists?

--marc

Anonymous said...

The commenter making a deal about the kidnapping will not mention that a lot of the master minds are Mainland Chinesr or Taiwanese. Check out the case of Rowena Uy of La Union. In addition, they also are the forerunners of illegal meth labs.

To add to that, there is a disdain of mainland and taiwanese BY LOCAL CHINESE

If the Philippines truly hate their local Chinese, they would have pulled a riot like Indonesia in 1997 did... but they have not.

Evan said...

"Stories are running around the net of Filipinos refused service (a hoax)"

Why do you think the stories of Filipinos being refused service are a hoax? We've heard multiple stories from our local Filipino worker community here in Nanzih District, Kaohshiung. And there are newspaper reports of signs being put up at establishments in Changhua.

It actually looks more to me like there's an informal movement on Facebook to discredit the stories by repeating the "where's the evidence" line.

Aris Teon said...

I think we need to await the result of the investigation to be able to say if the allegations regarding the coastguard of the Philippines are right or wrong.

However, one thing that is definitely wrong is to punish the entire Filipino community in Taiwan because of what the coastguard did!

It is as though one arrested a whole family because one of its member has allegedly committed a crime. This practice resembles summary punishments in imperial China.

It is outrageous to foster ethnic tensions in Taiwan because of an issue that should be solved by the two governments. Punishing innocent Filipino workers is in my opinion a clear violation of human rights, and there is definitely nothing glorious in bullying innocent people.

Anonymous said...

On update:

I won't coclude anything as both sides, esp the Taiwanese had already had a conclusion before they inspected the boat, it seems.

The only way to get an OBJECTIVE investigation is for the US to examine the boat

Anonymous said...

And IMO, based on the trajectory diagram, they were aiming indeed for the engine area

But still, the US should try to investigate this as probing by both sides is going to be bias

Michael Turton said...

Ryan, this blog is aimed at outsiders, not locals. There's no way I can affect local opinion.

Michael

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
les said...

Cebu Pacific Air in January had my address simply as in 'Taiwan'. Now it's in 'Chinese Taipei'. Way to go Matong, another diplomatic victory.

Anonymous said...

All these crazy talks, Taiwanese Hans calling for war, Ma calling the incident a cold blood murder on Pinoy's side; Taiwanese team in Manila not recognized, according to the news, upon arrival in Manila, absolute no cooperation from Phillipine. Salt to the would, Philippine officers actually said they had no idea of the arrival. Then Philippine stated that PCG only fired 2 shots. But the hull of the boat shows 40+ bullet holes, but the locations were in consistent with the Philipine claim, that the ship was trying to ram vessel PCG was on. It looks like both sides are not being honest, except that Taiwanese unarmed fishing boat did try to ram the PCG.

And Taiwanese fishing boats are known around the globe for poaching in waters of other countries. Lots of Taiwanese running meth-labs, underground businesses in Phillipines. So PCG got into Taiwanese water to loot them? Maybe it happened, but this one does not look like the case, and it is hard to convince Taiwanese were not poaching.

And to send all the cheap labours from Philippine home? Who will replace them? The reason they have labourers from so many countries is because those are the kind of positions that no locals will take.

One question: Is it true that the natives in Taiwan are related to the natives in Luzon?

Evan said...

Glad someone has the courage to anonymously spew racism on the internet.

Anonymous said...

I'm really shocked that no one is taking to task whoever this racist "anonymous" is. This person clearly has an axe to grind against Pinoys.

In an attempt to piss on Anon's rant, I'd like to correct the repetitive ranting part: "Manila is the 'kidnap n (sic) murder capital'of the world."

Here are the 10 nations with the highest kidnapping rates:

1. Mexico
2. Iraq
3. India
4. South Africa
5. Brazil
6. Pakistan
7. Ecuador
8. Venezuela
9. Colombia
10. Bangladesh
11. Nigeria
12. Haiti
13. Afghanistan
Source: IKV Pax Christi Netherlands

And the highest murder rates:

Honduras
El Salvador
Cote d'Ivoire
Jamaica
Venezuela
Belize
Guatemala
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Zambia
Uganda
Source: UNODC

NOTE: Sadly, some of these are among Taiwan's few allies.

The gun homicide rate for the entire nation of the Philippines is comparable to that of Los Angeles. The rate is marginally higher compared to other SE Asian countries, but quite low worldwide. So, if you think Manila is unsafe, you'll want to avoid "murderous" LA, too. In fact, the top 20 murderous cities in the world are in the Americas and Africa, not Asia or Europe.