Letters
Taipei Times
14 Fl., No. 399, Ruiguang Rd
Neihu, Taipei
Taiwan
11 February 2012
Editor,
Recently the Taiwan media have been vocal about an abuse of a Taiwanese taxi driver by a "foreigner." Your paper even used the word "shameful" in one headline (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2012/02/11/2003525188). But when a "foreigner" was viciously assaulted by a gang last year you editorialized the incident as "unfortunate."
I'm happy to know this incident is treated as a crime—as it should be. But I'm unhappy to know there seems to be a chauvinistic double standard in Taiwan, where the "dignity" of Taiwanese is treated with more respect than the dignity of "foreigners." This was evident in the media frenzy over a taekwondo incident a while back.
As you know, National Cheng Kung University illegally dismissed me thirteen years ago. The case involved a high-ranked university and numerous human rights abuses, including the refusal to enforce a Ministry of Education ruling for nearly four years. Yet your paper has not exposed the case as "shameful" or editorialized about the dignity of Americans in Taiwan.
In your article, the protesters are quoted as shouting "We want dignity! We want the truth!"
What do you think I want? Is my "dignity," or the "truth" of human rights abuses at National Cheng Kung University, of less merit or social import?
A taxi union official thanked Taiwan's media for speaking on behalf of the victim and justice. I wish I could say as much.
I understand this case is different, because the victim was Taiwanese. It has lasted a few days but a taxi official is quoted saying the case "had dragged on for so long."
My case has lasted thirteen years and your paper awaits "further developments," as one of your editors emailed me last year. Apart from the establishment of a genuinely free and adversarial press in Taiwan, I have no idea what those "developments" could be.
Sincerely,
Richard de Canio
Tainan, Taiwan
