The “Sing! China: Shanghai-Taipei Music Festival” was organized by the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs and therefore not a commercial activity, National Taiwan University (NTU) said yesterday.
The controversial concert abruptly ended on Sept. 24 amid student protests. Scattered incidents of violence were reported, including three students allegedly injured by members of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party.
The university said that it had twice denied a request from the department and Mu Chieh Ta Co (幕婕塔), the company commissioned by the city to organize the event, to use the school’s athletic field for the concert.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The school was informed that Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) had expressed concern over the denial and the school subsequently allowed the concert, NTU said.
The university presented documents showing that the department had organized the event in past years, proof that the event was a government-sanctioned one and not a commercial activity.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Monday said that it was not the city government, but the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the National Immigration Agency, that authorized the concert.
Responding to comments from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Yan Juo-fang (顏若芳) that the event was a “virus,” Ko said: “This virus was brought here by the Ministry of the Interior.”
The universtiy said it had apologized to students and teachers for the disruption to classes caused by the requisition of the athletic field, and that it would further investigate the matter and make improvements.
The department denied any negligence or effort to pressure the school over the event.
Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Deputy Commissioner Lee Li-chu (李麗珠) said the department had no contact with the company prior to being asked for assistance, and that it did not get involved with securing the school’s field as the venue.
The city government had no oversight, and Mu Chieh Ta Co was chosen by the Shanghai organizers, Lee said.
“What I am saying is the facts. I am absolutely not making stuff up,” she said.
Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs’ Creative Development Division head Wu Chun-ming (吳俊銘) said he received a call on Sept. 12 regarding concerns over potential noise from the concert site, and a colleague did a follow-up to clarify the situation, not to intervene.
Meanwhile, DPP Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said the ultimate blame lies with Lee, saying that she was the most senior official in the Department of Cultural Affairs that authorized the event.
If the ministry did not get involved and try to facilitate the process, then the university would not necessarily have agreed to lend out the space, Hsu said, adding that Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Chung Yung-feng (鍾永豐) is being made a scapegoat.
The department should make information about the whole process of organizing the concert open to public scrutiny just as NTU did, she said.
NTU student body representative Hsu Hsuan-wei (許軒瑋) said that although Chung has always denied that the city is responsible for the concert, Mu Chieh Ta Co has already said it was commissioned by the city to organize the event.
The company and the city had been working together for a long time, he said, adding that Ko tried to shift responsibility by saying the city was simply providing the company with assistance.
Additional reporting by Shen Pei-yao
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source