tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469066.post114005558177028744..comments2023-10-17T08:27:39.077-07:00Comments on Shamrocks! (Underground): Mat Forand On Death RowShamrocks!http://www.blogger.com/profile/15207890303484727420noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469066.post-1140352561503323552006-02-19T04:36:00.000-08:002006-02-19T04:36:00.000-08:00Not much sympathy in expat community, eh? It doesn...<I>Not much sympathy in expat community, eh? It doesn't make you nervous that he was targeted? That his native friends got off with a slap on the wrist? That he was forced to sign confessions before seeing a lawyer...</I><BR/><BR/>His native friends cut deals to sell him out (how do you think he was found?) and that's why he wasn't punished. He was targeted because he was selling drugs and did not have the usual gang connections and links to the police to protect his activity (because he was a foreigner without any of those things, probably not even aware he had to have them). He was freelancing in someone else's territory -- Forand was lucky he was only arrested and imprisoned, and not beaten to death by the people whose business he was poaching. Of course he was made to sign a confession before seeing a lawyer, that is not unusual here for both foreign and local criminals. Note that I am not defending the system, I am just pointing out that he is not getting unusual treatment.<BR/><BR/>He won't get death, but he will get 15. You haven't really caught the real issue -- the problem is that he wasn't American. There's a widespread perception that Americans get more breaks here than westerners of other nationalities. If you look at POTS on my blog sidebar, their last issue is about the poor prisoners in the foreign prison in Taipei, and some make just that complaint.<BR/><BR/>MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469066.post-1140105836254990792006-02-16T08:03:00.000-08:002006-02-16T08:03:00.000-08:00Uh, actually I was part of the expat community in ...Uh, actually I was part of the expat community in Japan and yeah, Mat shouldn't have been running drugs, but...<BR/><BR/>The death penalty? <BR/><BR/>Not much sympathy in expat community, eh? It doesn't make you nervous that he was targeted? That his native friends got off with a slap on the wrist? That he was forced to sign confessions before seeing a lawyer...<BR/><BR/>All above board, I'm sure.Shamrocks!https://www.blogger.com/profile/15207890303484727420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5469066.post-1140078381729658302006-02-16T00:26:00.000-08:002006-02-16T00:26:00.000-08:00Not really. Let me introduce you to the other side...Not really. Let me introduce you to the other side: lots of us long-term expats were peeved at Forand. It's just the kind of shit that makes trouble for everyone. Taiwanese are pretty good about foreigners, but idiots who blatantly violate laws like Forand did may trigger crackdowns or stricter laws that will hurt everyone. Naturally I don't support the death penalty and consider dope use a private matter, but there isn't much sympathy for him in the expat community. <BR/><BR/>This is NOT an example of nationalism, but simply some clueless idjit ruining his life trying to make a quick buck.Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.com