Tuesday 23 July 2013

Another Possible Maltreatment Of Corporal Hung

"Some have alleged that Hung was dragged to a bathroom and forced to drink tap water, and that this was the final action which killed the corporal. National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) suggested that this explanation was possible, estimating that Hung may have been forced to consume at least 8.4 kilograms [that's 8.4 litres - ed] of water, as his body's sodium level was incredibly low when he was sent to the hospital."
Taiwan has a hot and very humid climate - I exercise two to three times every day, weigh just over 180 pounds and drink probably something over three or even four litres a day (all drinks, not just water). However, being forced to drink over eight litres of water in one sitting would probably be enough to eliminate most of my electrolites; had I already undertaken a lot of strenuous exercise under the sun (with the consequent loss of electrolites that would entail), then drinking such an enormous quantity of water would surely be catastrophic. As this story about what several officers did to Corporal Hung keeps getting worse and worse, the question ought to be raised as to whether any foreseeable politician will ever have the will to stop the rot within the ROC Armed Forces. I hate this story; if Hung had been my friend, then I would feel an urge to drag the officers responsible for this outrage and kick them to utter fuck in a barracks gutter somewhere - military rank be damned.

Surely the replacement of some number of Taiwan's military officers with retired western officers (preferably American, British or Israeli) who don't suffer from Chinese social-psychological pathologies would be something to consider in the drafting of any serious military reform. I don't hold any expectation for either the current or next government to do anything of the sort, but it is one possibility against which they may be judged by the public.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comment moderation is now in place, as of April 2012. Rules:

1) Be aware that your right to say what you want is circumscribed by my right of ownership here.

2) Make your comments relevant to the post to which they are attached.

3) Be careful what you presume: always be prepared to evince your point with logic and/or facts.

4) Do not transgress Blogger's rules regarding content, i.e. do not express hatred for other people on account of their ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.

5) Remember that only the best are prepared to concede, and only the worst are prepared to smear.