PJ2
As someone said long ago, "Thanks, I needed that."
Your post summarises the points that I was just too tired and frustrated to make. The last one is especially important for those of us "from the West" to understand without direct experience. Cultural differences -- in command protocols, training and philosphies, as well as major differences in the roles, responsibilites and attitudes of all the "players", including ATC of course, and even perhaps the PAX in this instance -- are a most interesting area of study in all human activity, including accident investigation and prevention.
Now, as Samual Pepys would say, "And so to bed..."