tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post7116670435054478501..comments2023-10-26T22:53:59.503+08:00Comments on The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato: The strange case of the tourist who spiedJ. Michael Cole 寇謐將http://www.blogger.com/profile/12125612369359079447noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-46056663776406177892009-05-29T21:27:12.738+08:002009-05-29T21:27:12.738+08:00Yep, folks back home would find signs of "Do not e...Yep, folks back home would find signs of "Do not enter" strange, indeed.TicoExpathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09924420017053186115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-29675693383271543522009-05-28T23:45:36.651+08:002009-05-28T23:45:36.651+08:00Or maybe it is exactly what it seems - a guy takin...Or maybe it is exactly what it seems - a guy taking photos of something which the folks back home would find pretty strange. Speculation takes you nowhere.Gilman Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-85408303773016067002009-05-28T21:12:06.783+08:002009-05-28T21:12:06.783+08:00My two cents:
Maybe it was a "patriotic dare", yo...My two cents:<br /><br />Maybe it was a "patriotic dare", you know, like the guy who wrote his name on a national monument here, and was hereby celebrated as a hero on his hometown.<br /><br />"Look what I did to those nipponphiles..."TicoExpathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09924420017053186115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-78337438672440083832009-05-28T15:57:02.306+08:002009-05-28T15:57:02.306+08:00No problem with using Chinese, but the names are m...No problem with using Chinese, but the names are mainland ones - why not use simplified? Probably a stupid question.Gilman Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-11971720041260206742009-05-28T01:55:15.398+08:002009-05-28T01:55:15.398+08:00Vin:
Thanks for the comments.
I hadn’t thought o...Vin:<br /><br />Thanks for the comments.<br /><br />I hadn’t thought of the possibility of this being staged. I saw some footage, as well as a few Liberty Times photos of Ma, and in every single one of them he looked composed and even smiled. Somehow my gut feeling is that this wasn’t staged, but at the same time it doesn’t look like a well-crafted operation either. As a scheme to alleviate fears in Taiwan, or paint the KMT in a good light, I don’t know. You’d have to see how it’s played by pan-blue media. And I don’t see how Beijing would gain from seeing Chinese tourists portrayed as spies. It think, therefore, that what we saw was minor pinprick “attack.” If it was state-sponsored, it was merely testing the waters, nothing major. Ma’s tradecraft was obviously poor, and the Chinese intelligence apparatus can do much better. I think his composure and body language had much to do with the relatively low severity of the incident and the knowledge that the repercussions would be minimal (if one thing, this paints the KMT in a bad light, as the guy got off scot-free. Can you imagine if a Taiwanese had tried the same thing in Beijing? We’d have another Wo Weihan on our hands!)J. Michael Cole 寇謐將https://www.blogger.com/profile/12125612369359079447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-34956524671664669282009-05-28T00:26:07.318+08:002009-05-28T00:26:07.318+08:00I'm wondering, Mike, if this arrest was played up ...I'm wondering, Mike, if this arrest was played up to show that the KMT is protecting Taiwan's core interests and sovereignty -- wondering, in other words, if the whole thing was staged. If not, is it possible that China wanted someone to be "caught" because it understands more fully than the KMT does that Taiwanese suspicions of a sell-out need to be alleviated? I saw nothing but the TT photo, but if the guy maintained such composure, it is, as you say, odd. Couldn't all kinds of other espionage be successfully done while a few well-compensated fall guys get caught?vinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-55655346843718162882009-05-27T23:36:58.762+08:002009-05-27T23:36:58.762+08:00FOARP: It helps with Internet searches, especially...FOARP: It helps with Internet searches, especially when different systems are used for transliteration (e.g., Mao Tse-tung versus Mao Zedong; Li Teng-hui versus Lee Teng-hui, etc). It's also out of respect for people out there whose mother tongue is not English and may only know the individuals by the traditional Chinese characters.J. Michael Cole 寇謐將https://www.blogger.com/profile/12125612369359079447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29099853.post-55680036923291030962009-05-27T22:29:00.068+08:002009-05-27T22:29:00.068+08:00Interesting to read the opinion of a former profes...Interesting to read the opinion of a former professional in this field. <br /><br />Just one question, not related to the story; why use traditional characters to render mainland names on an English language blog?Gilman Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.com