Expat claims taxi driver who chased him was disturbed The expatriate teacher who allegedly called a taxi driver a 'Chinese pig' during an argument over a $15 fare yesterday declared he was innocent and the victim of a 'farce'. One Chinese newspaper featured the confrontation between Canadian teacher Jeffery Bell and taxi driver Lam Chung-chiu on the front page - fuelling public outrage over the alleged racial slur. The Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau even weighed into the debate yesterday, warning the man's school and asking them to remind their teachers to 'behave'. But Mr Bell, 32, an English teacher at Ng Yuk Secondary School, vowed he had paid his fare and 'never used such language'. 'This is a nightmare,' said Mr Bell, who lives in Ma On Shan. 'It is a farce. I am being raked over the coals and my credibility with my school and students is in tatters ... all because of one disturbed taxi driver. The term 'Chinese pig' has absolutely no meaning to me. It is not a term I would use. I swear on all that is holy that I said nothing derogatory to the man.' Mr Bell was arrested and detained for a day before being released unconditionally following the dispute on Wednesday. He said he was rushing to get to work when he got into the taxi outside the University KCRC station at 7am. The argument started when he decided to get out of the cab after travelling less than 100 metres, he said. 'I was in a rush. I decided the train was going to be faster. So I told the taxi driver I wanted to get out. He started calling me a crazy man. 'I threw the money onto the front seat because he was yelling at me and got out.' The driver hounded him into the railway station yelling at other passengers that he was a fare evader, he said. 'The crowd started pushing and shoving me, some KCRC staff grabbed me, they surrounded me like I was a thug. It was a nightmare. 'My work [colleagues] are being very supportive but the children have all read the reports in the Chinese press and it is a very difficult situation. I hope it all just goes away.'
