President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday visited former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) mausoleum in Touliao (頭寮), Taoyuan County, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death, remaining tight-lipped about the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) rally against his administration.
The president arrived at the mausoleum at about 10am, leading top Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials to pay homage and staying a while in front of the former president’s picture.
He shook hands with supporters on leaving the mausoleum, but did not comment when asked about the DPP’s “Fury” rally against the government.
Photo: Chiu Yi-tung, Taipei Times
As protesters took to the streets to express their anger at the government in Taipei, Ma was not scheduled to attend any other public events yesterday.
Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said Ma went over government documents yesterday afternoon while monitoring the situation at the rally.
KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said the party’s Culture and Communication Committee was paying close attention to the rally and the responses to the event, dismissing concerns about the KMT’s attempt to downplay the protest.
The Ma administration has failed to give a positive response to three DPP demands: a Cabinet reshuffle, support of anti-media-monopoly acts and a national affairs conference.
While dismissing the DPP’s calls for a reshuffle and a national affairs conference, the government stressed its efforts to prevent media monopolization. This followed a move by a consortium — including pro-China Want Want China Times Group (旺旺中時集團) chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明) — to acquire Next Media Group’s (壹傳媒集團) Taiwanese assets, which sparked debate about growing Chinese influence on Taiwanese media and the concentration of media ownership in the hands of conglomerates.
On Friday the KMT caucus backtracked on its previous support of the DPP’s proposed amendments to the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) and the Cable Television Act (有線電視法), arguing that a specific law regulating media ownership is needed.
Premier Sean Chen (陳沖) said yesterday during a visit to Nantou that the Cabinet had already declared its determination to prevent the monopolization of any businesses, including the media industry, and will support the National Communications Commission in drafting a specific law to address issues related to media ownership.
“The Executive Yuan was already working hard to revive the economy and address concerns about media monopolization before the DPP presented its demands at the rally,” he said.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a