Interview: Arbitrary Punishment in Taiwan — My Case on Taiwan Explorers
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July 11, 2025 • A public interview focused on proportionality, documentation, and due process concerns.
I’m grateful to Benoit F. Massé, a French filmmaker and long-term resident in Taiwan, for taking the time to record a careful interview about my case. Our goal was not to inflame, stereotype, or generalize — but to present a documented personal experience and explain why I believe this matter deserves principled review.
Core purpose of this post: to make it easy for a new reader (journalist, lawyer, advocate, or member of the public) to watch the interview, then access the primary documents and timeline.
See the same interview with Chinese voiceover:
Full documents hub: rosscline.com/scam | iLearn.tw/scam
Why this interview matters
This interview exists because, in my view, the documented record raises a serious question of proportionality and procedural fairness. I am not asking anyone to accept my conclusions without review. I am asking for careful, transparent scrutiny of the written record and the practical consequences I have faced.
I lived in Taiwan for many years and built my professional and personal life there. The outcome of this case has forced me to live outside the place I considered home. The human impact is real, but the focus here is on what can be evaluated: dates, documents, actions taken, and the overall proportionality of the result.
Request to readers: If the decisions in this case are sound, they should withstand clear public explanation. If not, a lawful remedy should exist.
📄 Full interview transcript (click to expand)
Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for readability (clarity, tone, and flow) while preserving the meaning and structure of the conversation. It is presented here to help journalists and reviewers quickly understand the narrative without needing to rewatch sections.
Benoit F. Massé:
Hello everyone, and welcome. Today we’re going to talk about a serious subject: legal risk and due process in Taiwan, especially as it can affect foreign residents. The goal is not to create fear — it’s to help people understand what can happen when a dispute escalates and why documentation and fairness matter. Ross, I’ll let you introduce yourself.
Ross Cline:
Hi, I’m Ross Cline, from New Brunswick, Canada. I moved to Taiwan in 2009 and opened a school near City Hall in Taichung. Over time, Taiwan became my home — personally and professionally.
Benoit F. Massé:
So you started your school in 2009. Before that, what brought you to Taiwan in the first place?
Ross Cline:
I first came at 18 to teach English during the summer. Later, I returned to Canada, lived in Toronto for several years, spent time in Germany, and eventually decided to build a long-term life in Taiwan. I opened my school in late 2009 and worked hard to operate legally and professionally.
Benoit F. Massé:
You lived in Taiwan a long time. When did things start to become unstable?
Ross Cline:
After many stable years, I faced serious disruption to my work environment, and later a housing and rental situation that became more complex than I could have anticipated. Looking back, I wish I had understood earlier how quickly disputes can escalate and how difficult it can be to navigate the process when you cannot read the language fluently.
Benoit F. Massé:
For viewers who don’t know your case, what triggered the legal complaint?
Ross Cline:
The triggering event involved the brief public posting of part of a rental contract during a dispute — my intention was to document responsibility in a safety-related situation. When asked to remove it, I removed it promptly and apologized. I did not anticipate that the matter could lead to years of criminal litigation and a severe outcome that ultimately forced me to leave Taiwan.
Benoit F. Massé:
The public might wonder: what information was at issue?
Ross Cline:
In Taiwan, address-related information can be treated as protected personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act. The key issue I’m raising is not whether privacy matters — it does — but whether the broader context and proportionality were meaningfully weighed, and whether lawful remedies exist when outcomes appear extreme relative to the underlying facts.
Benoit F. Massé:
And this ultimately led you to leave Taiwan?
Ross Cline:
Yes. After prolonged proceedings and escalating risk, my lawyer advised me to leave. I did. It was not what I wanted, but it was the only realistic way to avoid an outcome that would have permanently destroyed my ability to rebuild my life.
Benoit F. Massé:
Some people might say: “This is a rare situation.”
Ross Cline:
I agree that many people live in Taiwan without encountering anything like this. But when it happens, it’s life-altering — especially when language barriers and procedural complexity make it hard to defend yourself in a timely way. My aim is not to claim this is everyone’s experience — it’s to ensure that unusual outcomes can be examined transparently.
Benoit F. Massé:
What do you want to happen now?
Ross Cline:
I want lawful review and rectification if the record supports it. I also want the public and media to be able to examine the documents in an organized way. That’s why I keep everything centralized at rosscline.com/scam and iLearn.tw/scam, including timelines, key correspondence, and media coverage.
Benoit F. Massé:
Thank you, Ross. I hope this can lead to clarity and a fair resolution.
Ross Cline:
Thank you for providing a platform for careful discussion. That’s all I’m asking for — careful review, and a fair remedy if one is warranted.
Thank you to everyone who reads this and evaluates the record on its merits.
