我的歷史不好, 去的地方是波斯不是大食, 特此更正
第一次, 我被條子抓, 而且是在國外. 當然, 這也是第一次我被旅館經理罵.
真的沒人告訴過我, 我不能在波斯國拍照.
(I write what happened to me in English, of course something detailed are bypassed.)
It was my first time caught by a cop, and I was outside Taiwan. And it was also my first time blamed by a hotel manager.
I swear that NOBODY told me that I CANNOT take picture in Iran.
June 6th, after I finished my work (I went there for business), went back to hotel, packed my luggage, I went out to take some pictures before dinner time (about 6:00pm Tehran Time). During taking picture, there was a cop (Here I call him P1) 2 meters far from me directing traffic. He said nothing.
20 minutes later, another guy without wearing uniform come to me. (Here I call him P2) (of course P2 got poor English, and I cannot speak Iranian).
P2: Are you reporter?
K (of course, I): no, I’m just a tourist.
P2: Can I see your ID?
(I doubted and looked to P1)
P1: he is a police, no problem.
(I gave P2 my passport)
P2: You come from Taiwan?
K: yes
P2: What for?
K: for business, and will leave in 12 hours
(my flight was at 5:00am in the next day)
P2: may I see your camera?
(I thought that’s not a big problem, since he already take my passport, about US$1000 and all of my credit card inside)
P2: who you worked with?
(I showed my contact list, of course in the passport fold)
P2: you cellular phone please
(He uses SE-P900 and is the same as mine, and I gave that to him)
P2: where do you live?
K: my hotel is just there, only 2 minutes walk.
P2: no photo.
K: I don’t know, I went to the park yesterday and nobody told me that I cannot take photo.
After a long waiting (about 20 minutes), a police car came, and I was brought into the car. They bring me to another place, where is just by the highway (not police station), and everybody stayed in the car.
Another cop (P3) can speak better english. and asked me almost the same question again.
P3: in this country, taking photo in this season is not allowed.
K: Nobody told me about that. Sorry I don’t know, or I delete all of my pictures in the Cellular Phone and Camera, is that ok?
everybody keep quiet for 5 minute.
P3: show me your ID card in Taiwan
(I didn’t know why, but I still showed him, of course it’s in my passport fold)
Cops in the car discussed about the ID card for about 5 minute.
P3: you said that you come for business, do you have business card?
(I really didn’t know what I can do, so I still gave one to him, and he kept that.)
P3: You must delete all of your photos with people here. Photo of scene is OK. (Wholly shoot, after 1 more hours you said that is not disallowed, so why I was here?)
I delete almost all of my pictures (besides scenery and those I took in Taiwan), then they drove me back to hotel. brought me to the hotel manager, and asked the manager blaming me.
After for several minutes’ blame, the manager said that the cops in that country is very strong (I think that I understand what the word “strong” means, of course not only stringency), so do not go outside without local people with you (er….I just go out to take some pictures, only 2 minutes walk away from hotel, or I’d have to think my business trip as prison?)
After that, I am glad that I still alive and going back to Taiwan safely, and I think I am really afraid to go to that country again.
What an interesting and painful experience!
So before you go away on a business trip, it’s important to know the local culture and law.
The problem is, NO related information can be found, even on the web (only said you cannot take pictures at some monument WITH INDICATION). Although lots of “good experience” can be found on the web, I still feel bad even it passed for more than 2 years.