Eye On Taiwan
Op Ed
Date: May 19, 2016
By: David Wang
Ho Buo-han , a Taiwanese ex-marine who choked to death a burglar.
Picture yourself as the judge in Rio de Janeiro, Katmandu, Manila, Addis Ababa, Casablanca, Penang, San Salvador, Hokkaido, or even the male-chauvinistic judiciary system of Bangladesh or Pakistan where judges have been known to release with barely a slap on the wrist culprits of honor killing and rapists. And the first case on the docket happens to be the trial of Ho Buo-han (as shown), a Taiwanese ex-marine who choked to death a burglar who was caught red handed one night as the defendant and then pregnant wife returned home.
Those of us with even puerile sense of discretion, indignation and ability to distinguish right from wrong would, as would the newly-elected Filipino president Duerte who has said on TV that he advocates reintroducing hanging and shoot-to-kill in handling criminals, throw the case on the pile marked “NOT GUILTY.” While those with true sense of creativity and sense of mission to improve Taiwanese society would even propose Ho to be presented with the highest civilian medal of honor for purging Taiwan of one more piece of reprobate. And those who watches reruns of Dirty Harry and Death Wish while salivating helplessly to also undergo pupil dilation and heart palpitations as Paul Kersey pumps slugs into the perps would petition the lawmakers in Taiwan to legislate the good ole bounty hunter system, in addition to offering cash rewards to police officers and civilians who stop criminals dead in their tracks to save Taiwan of unnecessary spending on the judiciary and correctional systems that obviously treat criminals better than most of the underprivileged and overseas contract workers in Taiwan.
Taiwanese scammers who have been caught overseas targeting mainland Chinese have recently been transported to China, despite Taiwanese protests with questionable justification or even rationale, for trial simply because of the ridiculously criminal-friendly judiciary on the island.
Undoubtedly a handful in Taiwan including the members on the conservative side of the tracks as anti-abortionists, Amnesty International, anti-euthanasia would cry foul of such notion for it being barbaric to reek of the Wild, Wild West.
That is until one reads the verdict handed down and publicized online in Taiwan. Ho, despite his instinctive and rightful action to protect his pregnant wife as he sensed imminent threat due to the break-in, has been given a 3-month suspended jail sentence that is commutable with a US$2,800 fine, while TV news says that the family of the burglar is seeking some US$312,000 in damages.
Meanwhile drug peddlers, addicts and all kinds of slimy, underhanded criminals as the merchant recently busted for buying 11-year-frozen seafood to resell to 5-star hotels wantonly break laws in Taiwan knowing the penalties are light and jail time spent is more comfy than life for the homeless in Taipei.
