Mentally ill people unbanned from Sanchong park
Public parks in Taiwan can appear to be deserted during the day however towards the evening as the sun sets they often become a hub of activity.
One of the weirdest experiences we’ve had with the public parks is riding through some during the afternoon feeling like we were cycling through some post-apocalyptic landscape, only to return later that evening and find literally hundreds of people out and about.
Young and old playing sports, walking their dogs, cycling around, strolling through the parks, illegally fishing, playing board games, listening to music and watching the world go by… there’s no end to the possibilities Taiwan’s parks provide and everyone is welcome to participate and use the provided facilities.
Well, except mentally ill people. They can fuck right off.
Kaiyuan Park in Taipei County’s Sanchong District (west of Taipei City) was established roughly ten years ago and boasts gym, playground and basketball facilities.
Since its inception, Kaiyuan Park has also banned entry to mentally ill people. Those with infectious diseases were also banned from using the park.
For a decade this law has gone unchallenged and was publicly displayed on government erected noticeboards around the park.
The signage prohibited mentally ill and those with infectious diseases from the park and warned that repeat offenders would be prosecuted by the government in court.
I don’t know whether it’s a testament to people ignoring signage put up in parks, a general lack of not caring or community approved discrimination against mentally ill people, but it was only recently that a man noticed the rule on the park signage and lodged a formal complaint.
Hiding behind supposed “local customs”, the Sanchong Local District Office responded by stating that the rule was put in place a decade ago due to what are now “outdated” local laws.
It’s unclear when exactly these laws became outdated, but whenever it was it didn’t stop the council from continuing to ban mentally ill people from Kaiyuan Park.
Following the complaint, the District Office announced that they had initiated plans to replace Kaiyuan Park signage to reflect the change in local law and to inspect signage displayed at 53 other public parks under their jurisdiction.
A bit of an insight there into the Taiwan of old and a seemingly culturally ingrained stigma against those who suffer from mental illness and infectious diseases.
Well perhaps not too old, it was only mid last year that Shida residents ended their protest against a planned temporary shelter for children suffering from cancer who lived outside of Taipei to stay whilst having treatment from being set up in their neighbourhood.
During the campaign locals vehemently campaigned against the shelter claiming that cancer was contagious and vowing to “shed blood if necessary” to protect their homes.
And if having nowhere to stay whilst undergoing treatment and being banned from public parks wasn’t bad enough, then you’ve also got family members betting on when you’ll die.
Sucks to be an ill person in Taiwan.
January 7th, 2013 at 4:07 pm PeterF57(Quote)
I don’t see any problem with banning those with infectious diseases from public places, but not mentally ill people.
There is though a proviso to allowing mentally ill people in public places like a park, and that is to have security measures in place, because, as I have seen at school, 40 years ago April 12th this year was my last day, sometimes mentally ill people can run amok and acquire superhuman strength, and do a lot of damage.
For such a modern society OzBoy, Taiwan sure is one fucked up country in many ways.
January 8th, 2013 at 12:30 pm Chububobcat(Quote)
I agree with this there has to be some government accountability when it comes to public safety and banning carriers infection diseases from public places is acceptable in my mind.
The only exception I would grant would be for dying people and only if very strict containment protocols are enacted to contain the any spread of the disease allow the person to see one last sight of beauty before dying.
This is just hilarious but true. I saw this happen in the Tokyo metro a few years ago. A man-child was accidently separated from his sister and walked into the women’s only car. Where he was then mistaken for a rapist or something because he grabbed onto the hand of a woman who looked like his sister, who then started shouting (understandably).
When the metro police tried to take him away it was like he became superman and flung the cops around like dolls. It was till his sister showed up (quickly luckily) that he calmed down.
January 8th, 2013 at 8:24 pm Oz(Quote)
I kind of get the whole ID thing (assuming it’s airborne) but the problem lies not so much with the idea itself but rather the enforcing of restriction laws.
Face it, it’s not like they have a sign attached to their foreheads telling everyone they have an ID. Ditto mentally ill people, they’ll be the last ones to read signs banning them from entering a park and half of them probably wouldn’t care anyway (side-effect of the illness itself).
Security guards are one option but most big parks already have these and people still waltz in with their fishing poles and set up camp or let their dogs crap anywhere…
January 9th, 2013 at 12:04 pm Chububobcat(Quote)
I agree that it is pointless to say these or to even ban these people. Since there is hardly any way to know who has an ID or not. Unless they are lepers or some other horrible visible ID, you wont know and the same goes for mentally challenged people too.
Severely deranged people you will spot a mile off but the shifty eyed schizo might be passed off as just another homeless drunk wondering around. So security guards, more cameras than blades of grass, or giant ridiculous signs aren’t going to stop people from doing what they want.
But given the propensity for Taiwanese to sue other people at the slights kindergarten playground level trash talk, it gives the government some level of buffer should anything actually happen.
They can always say “Its not our fault that the ID carrying schizophrenic woman ran up and bit your son. We did put a sign up banning ID and mentally ill people.”