Taiwan Students to the PRC, "Not in Our House"

Saturday October 09, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Kudos to the students of Taiwan's Kainan University who refused to be bullied or intimidated by representatives of the People's Republic of China (PRC)when they insisted that the students not display the national flag at a recent basketball game in Taoyuan. It is refreshing to see that while the government of Ma Ying-joke trips and falls over itself in its attempts to kow-tow to the PRC, the students will stand up for Taiwan.

The Incident happened at a basketball game between the Taiwan University All-Stars and China's Tianjin Polytechnic Univ. China's team refused to play if Taiwan students displayed the national flag at the game; Taiwan students stood their ground and said, "You don't make the rules in our house."

The PRC appears to have been emboldened by past times when Ma Ying-joke wanted to avoid offending Chen Yun-lin of the PRC on his visit here last year. Ma tried to make sure that the national flag was not seen by Chen. Similarly years past, Ma had insisted that the flag not be at sports games between the two countries. Chinese officials said there was a "tacit understanding" between the PRC and Taiwan.

Head referee at the game Lee Hung-chi tried to offer dumb and lame excuses to weasel out of his wanting to have the flag removed by saying that somehow the flag in the last row of the stadium was blocking someone's view. But the people are tired of such lameness.

The flag flew and the PRC team walked out. I cheer the students and agree if China wants to dictate terms in Taiwan's democracy, it is time to send the beggars home.

Chen the taxi driver put it more crudely. "What's my opinion of the government of Ma Ying-joke? Mayo Lam-pas. But our students, they know where its at."