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Officials react
violently to baseball fans¡¦ Taiwan flag
By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA
Spectators at a sports arena hold
up Taiwan flags in an undated photograph. The Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan
yesterday said that fans had displayed flags depicting Taiwan merely to show
support for the Taiwanese team.
Photo provided by Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan
Greater Taichung Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP) Councilor Tseng Chao-jung (´¿´Âºa) yesterday lambasted the Chinese
Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for allegedly forcing a fan to leave the
stadium during an Asia Series game because he brought along flags often used at
pro-Taiwan rallies.
The seventh Asia Series, originally slated to be held in Fukuoka, Japan, was
after negotiation held in Taiwan. It began on Friday and runs through Wednesday.
The EDA Rhinos represented Taiwan and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
represented Japan in the series¡¦ opener on Friday.
The fans whose flags were taken said they purchased their tickets and entered
the stadium with two ¡§Taiwan flags,¡¨ each 1m long and 80cm wide, to cheer on the
Rhinos, and distributed smaller versions of the flags.
One of the fans, a woman surnamed Chen (³¯), said that around the fourth inning,
officials from the league had come over and took her flag by force, adding that
as she struggled to keep the flag, the officials hit her and broke the flag
pole.
As the games¡¦ hosting responsibilities were overseen by both the league and the
Greater Taichung government, Greater Taichung Bureau of Sports Director Fang
Jui-wen (©Ð·ç¤å) said that the Asia Series regulations stipulate that large flags
or flagpoles may not be brought into the grounds to prevent spectators¡¦ view
being obstructed.
Fang added that the municipal government went through great trouble to host the
series and called on the public to find venues other than sports grounds to
express their political views.
Fang called on the public to refrain from bringing in flags with any political
connotation, adding that if the workers had used violence during the alleged
scuffle, the bureau would look into the matter and make sure such incidents do
not happen again.
However, Tseng said that baseball fans have the right to take any flag they like
to root for their team into the stadium, adding that there were other large
flags being flown in the stadium as well.
¡§There were also Japan supporters who waved the Japanese flag, so why would the
municipal government and the league only chase the people waving the pro-Taiwan
flags off?¡¨ Tseng said, adding that the bureau and the league should be
consistent on the issue and refrain from violence.
LIONS 10, UNIPOL FORTITUDO 0
The CPBL champs the Uni-President Lions teed off against the Unipol Fortitudo of
Italy last night by blanking the defending European Cup champions in a 10-0
shutout in seven innings to garner an impressive win in their first game of the
Asia Series.
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