daily Lessons from Life 18 October 2010 - Taiwan concerned about Singapore's caning sentences

"Taiwan concerned about Singapore's caning sentences - Mon, Oct 18, 2010 The China Post/Asia News Network

SINGAPORE -- Taiwan's representative office in Singapore said it is concerned about two Taiwanese men who have been sentenced to canings and jail terms for loan shark harassment in the Southeast Asian city state.

According to a statement issued by Singaporean police authorities on Thursday, three Taiwanese citizens have recently been given seven- to 24 month prison sentences after being convicted of loan shark harassment.

Two of the defendants, identified as Su Wei Ying and Wu Wei Chun in the Singapore Police Force statement, were also to receive '15 strokes of the cane' for their offenses."

I am glad that the Taiwan's representative office in Singapore is concerned about the sentences being given to its citizens who run foul of the laws in Singapore. It will be a good opportunity for it to use as a warning that committing a crime punishable by canings is nothing to be treated lightly. And that any Taiwanese who visit or live and work in Singapore most be made aware of and be law abiding!! LOL!!!

Lessons for me are:

1. if you come to someones home, you simply have to adhere to the rules spelt out. Canings in his an institution made famous by the infamous American teenager, Michael Fay, who was caned, albeit with a reduction from 6 strokes to 3, due to then President Clinton's intervention!;

2. when you break the rules of the host country, you simply have to be responsible and face the punishment meted out according to the host country's rule. To expect otherwise is unrealistic, naive, closed-minded, and even chauvinistic!!;

3. there will be some misguided patriotic Taiwanese, one that come to mind easily is that so-called celebrity commentator, Li Yao, who will try to twist the fact and attack Singapore's penal code as barbaric and primitive. Well, they just need to seriously ask themselves if they are being rational. Chances are they are not! Just for publicity sake!!

May the Taiwanese in this case accept their punishment gracefully though it will be very painful. May the majority of the Taiwanese recognize that when you do no wrong in Singapore, you will never get cane! And this majority need to speak out as the vocal minority like Li Yao will definitely make some loud noises!