A Canadian’s 4-year legal ordeal in Taiwan
Dear International News Media,
Important note: This post summarizes my personal account and my interpretation of a documented dispute and related proceedings. It is shared for journalistic review and public-interest discussion, not as a campaign against Taiwan or its people. I respect Taiwan’s society and democratic development, and I am not asking anyone to accept my conclusions without examining the underlying record. Where I describe events as “frightening,” “hostile,” “unclear,” or “unfair,” I am describing my experience and perspective. If any party believes a statement is inaccurate, I welcome a right of reply and correction based on verifiable documentation.
I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to share a serious, time-sensitive story involving questions of procedural fairness in a case that affected my ability to remain in Taiwan. I lived in Taiwan since 2009 and built my life there. Over the last several years, I have been involved in an escalating legal process that, in my view, may illustrate how foreign residents can feel vulnerable when a private dispute becomes adversarial and consequences become severe.
Background of My Case
In 2019, I became entangled in a landlord dispute that followed a safety incident and unresolved security concerns. I received a phone call that I experienced as frightening, and I experienced encounters that I perceived as hostile and intimidating. At the time, I believed I did not have a reliably secure locking entry and that my safety concerns were not being addressed.
In fear and urgency, I briefly published a rental agreement online to document what I understood the agreement to be regarding repairs and maintenance. That decision was not made to harass, defame, or target anyone; it was made to document my understanding while I was attempting to restore safety and accountability. When I was told to remove it, I removed it.
Key point: My position is that context matters — including fear, duress, and necessity — and that these factors should be considered when evaluating actions taken in an attempt to protect basic safety. I am not alleging misconduct by “Taiwan” as a whole; I am asking for careful review of a specific record, on its own facts.
The Legal Process
Over the past several years, I have faced multiple legal actions, financial penalties, and the risk of imprisonment. I maintain that evidence and context that would typically matter — including witness accounts and extensive documentation — have not, in my view, been weighed in a manner that feels proportionate and even-handed. I recognize that others may disagree with my interpretation; that is precisely why I am requesting independent scrutiny of the underlying record and outcomes.
Concerns About Equal Treatment
What has been particularly concerning to me is how the process appeared to me as a foreign resident — not as an abstract accusation, but as an experience I am documenting: procedures that were difficult to navigate, communication that felt inconsistent, and a sense that safeguards can feel weaker when you are an outsider and the stakes rise. I am asking media to review and test the record, including the proportionality of outcomes.
Request for Media Review
Taiwan is widely recognized for democratic values and civic openness, and I am mindful of that context. My purpose is not to attack Taiwan or to encourage hostility toward its institutions or people. Rather, I am requesting that journalists examine whether this particular sequence of events and decisions reflects a gap between stated protections and lived experience for some foreign residents when disputes become adversarial.
Sincerely,
Ross Cline 柯受恩
rosscline.com
iLearn.tw
English video (personal account & request for independent review)
Chinese voiceover (same topic, for Chinese-speaking viewers)
Context (applies to both videos)
These videos present my personal account and a request for independent public review of documented events and legal proceedings. I welcome examination of the full record.
Spoken Text from Video — Edited for Clarity and Context
Edited for readability and tone; intended to preserve the meaning while avoiding inflammatory phrasing.
Thank you for watching.
I arrived in Taiwan in 2009 and established a language school. For many years, my work and life there were stable. Over time, however, a series of disputes and disruptions contributed to escalating conflict and later legal proceedings.
This video is a request for public-interest review and independent media attention. My intention is not publicity for commercial gain, but to seek careful examination of a situation that I experienced as deeply distressing and difficult to resolve through normal channels.
For several years, I have been involved in proceedings arising from a landlord dispute. In that context, and under significant stress, I briefly published a copy of my rental agreement online to document what I understood to be contractual obligations regarding repairs and maintenance. When asked to remove it, I removed it.
Since that time, the process has involved financial penalties and the risk of imprisonment. I have experienced difficulty obtaining affordable legal assistance, and some procedures were challenging to navigate as a foreign resident in a language not my own.
I provide documentation, recordings, and timelines so that events and context can be independently evaluated. I do not ask anyone to accept my conclusions without review. I ask only that the full record — including context, proportionality, and human impact — be examined carefully.
Ross Cline 柯受恩
rosscline.com
iLearn.tw
📄 Full Video Transcript (timed, carefully cleaned)
Based on your supplied transcript text. Language was lightly cleaned to remove slurs/needlessly inflammatory phrasing and to reduce legal risk, while preserving the meaning.
0:00Thanks for watching — can you see me clearly?
0:06I’ve lived in Taiwan since 2009, and I opened a language school here.
0:20Over time, a difficult dispute developed around my rental situation, and the conflict escalated.
0:35This is a request for international media attention and independent review. I’m not trying to create publicity for business purposes. I’m asking for scrutiny because the situation has been overwhelming and hard to resolve through normal channels.
0:56I’ve been involved in repeated proceedings for years. I believe the record deserves careful review, including the context and what led up to the dispute.
1:25At times I received documents that felt unclear to me as a foreign resident, and I was unsure what steps were expected next.
1:43I also struggled to obtain legal help that I could afford, which made the situation more frightening and difficult to navigate.
2:04The consequences involved substantial financial penalties and the risk of imprisonment. This was triggered by my brief posting of a rental contract online, which I later removed.
2:18In my view, the underlying context matters — including my safety concerns at the time and why I felt urgency to document what I understood the contract to require.
2:37The outcome and ongoing pressure have had serious personal and professional effects, especially during the COVID period when business conditions were already extremely difficult.
3:05I am sharing documentation and recordings so that independent reviewers can examine the full context, not just one isolated act.
4:06I respectfully ask international media to consider reviewing the record and, if appropriate, giving this story time for public-interest scrutiny.
4:23If you would like to contact me, you can use the booking tool on my websites to schedule a call across time zones, or reach out in any reasonable way.
5:00Thank you for your time.
Video Evidence
Additional Context (phone call & mediation recording):
Later, I learned information suggesting that an individual connected to the landlord may have been associated with the phone call that I experienced as frightening, including references within a police report and statements made during mediation.
There is additional context. During the mediation recording I made in Hsinchu, after I said, “That’s the man,” he responded in a way that appeared to treat my statement as a reference to that phone call. He then placed several mobile phones on the table and asserted that he was not the person who called and used profane language toward me. I considered it notable that he interpreted my remark in that specific way.
I remained concerned when he asked me to call the number from which I had received this call, suggesting that doing so would demonstrate that he was not the caller. In my view, that request did not, on its face, establish the point being asserted.
I am describing these events as I perceived them and as reflected in the recording. I offer this as context for why I experienced the situation as unsettling, and why I believe the record merits careful, independent review. I am not presenting this as a definitive conclusion about anyone’s intentions, and I welcome correction if any portion is shown to be inaccurate by verifiable evidence.
