I am writing today in an attempt to raise awareness about a disturbing situation that has been ongoing since 2019, i.e. the harassment of foreign resident Ross Cline.
A hardworking and respected business owner, who has been residing in Taiwan since 2009, Mr. Cline has contributed to Taiwanese society greatly through his efforts to educate his students in both the English language as well as critical-thinking skills. He is also the owner and founder of a language consultant company, iLearn.tw.
Despite leading a respectable life, Mr. Cline fell afoul of the law in 2019 after posting his rental contract online. At that time, Mr. Cline was having issues with his landlord – despite signing a five-year lease, the landlord purportedly refused to aid Cline in repairing a malfunctioning rolling gate, offering his school with little security. Furthermore, the landlord and her husband allegedly made death threats against Mr. Cline, leaving him feel worried for his life, hence why Mr. Cline decided to post his rental contract for the public to see.
Reflecting back on the situation, Mr. Cline realizes that this brief lapse in judgment on his part was ruinous to his life. As he had inadvertently broken Taiwan’s Personal Data Protection Act, he soon found himself on the receiving end of three different lawsuits, all of which were methodically filed after the lapse of the six month statute of limitations period, during which he could have sued his landlord for damages relating to the malfunctioning door as well as Mr. Cline’s well-being. Mr. Cline is guilty of breaking the law, something on which even he agrees. That being said, the three lawsuits that Mr. Cline is facing, as well as the settlements, do not seem to fit the spirit of justice.
At the start of this ordeal, Mr. Cline felt remorseful. He immediately removed the contract after realizing his mistake, but that was not enough to please his former landlord. As it now stands, Mr. Cline is facing a huge financial burden as well as a criminal record, which would be ruinous to his career as an English teacher. Furthermore, he has been experiencing a lot of mental anguish, uncertain as to whether he should remain in Taiwan, or whether he should throw away the company and everything he worked so hard to achieve over the past decade and a half, all because of a brief lapse of judgment that had invoked a pair of civil court cases.
Ignorance is never a viable excuse for breaking the law, something upon which many of us can agree; however, to destroy Mr. Cline and his livelihood over sharing a rental contract with others, briefly, is absurd. Due to the time frame in which the lawsuits had been filed, the man has been unable to receive legal aid, nor has he been able to find a lawyer to accept his case. And I find this abhorrent – one moment a respected, contributing citizen, and the next a social pariah – this has all been a reality for Mr. Cline, and due to what crime, wanting to have a working rolling gate at his place of business?
As a country that is always looking to attract foreign talent, Taiwan needs to carefully consider how it handles the situation of Mr. Cline. The penalty obviously does not fit the crime in this situation, and although the law is being applied, justice is clearly not being served. Awareness needs to be raised for the benefit of both sides, so that foreign residents can better understand the laws of Taiwan, and similarly so that such travesties of justice, such as that with the Mr. Cline case, do not soil the island’s reputation as being a hospitable place to live, work, and set up a business.
Regards,
