OpinionAfter missteps by Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou, more shoes fly in his direction
The Taiwanese public have taken to expressing their anger over the performance of their president by hurling footwear his way
As well as venting their displeasure at the performance of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in the usual ways, his growing numbers of critics have reached into their wardrobes for a new weapon of choice - shoes.
Since December last year, when Ma joined the lengthening list of global political figures who have been shoe targets, he has encountered flung footwear on at least nine occasions.
Like US President George W. Bush, who had shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist at a news conference in Baghdad in 2008, and former premier Wen Jiabao , who had a shoe thrown at him by a German student during a lecture at Cambridge University in Britain in 2009, the Taiwanese leader has not been hit by any of the island's shoe hurlers.
But it hasn't been for lack of trying.
Ma experienced shoes being thrown at him for the second time on September 9 at a demonstration by workers protesting against government inaction over layoffs.
Since then, he has had shoes aimed at him periodically, most recently on October 20 when a mother holding a baby launched a shoe at him during an activity related to a cultural festival for Taiwan's Hakka people.
The frequency of the incidents has become such that security authorities have put up protective nets around Ma when he makes public appearances. Late last month, media reported police authorities had budgeted for 60 shoe-catching nets to protect the president.