The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Thursday posted on Facebook an interview AIT Chairman James Moriarty did with Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS), after the channel pulled it from its programming lineup one day after airing.
TVBS conducted the interview with Moriarty in Taiwan last week.
During the interview, Moriarty warned about external forces attempting to manipulate public opinion ahead of the nine-in-one local elections on Saturday.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Unlike most of the station’s news reports, which are aired repeatedly throughout the day and sometimes the following day, TVBS broadcast the interview only once — during the 5pm segment on Nov. 9.
The Chinese-language online Next Magazine on Friday reported that TVBS shelved the interview in a “forced disappearance,” saying that there were hidden reasons why the station decided to stop airing the interview.
TVBS slammed the report as a biased departure from the facts, saying that it was unsubstantiated reporting that disregarded journalistic ethics.
The AIT, the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties between the two nations, on Thursday posted the interview on Facebook.
The reason the interview was pulled from the lineup can only be answered by TVBS, AIT spokeswoman Amanda Mansour was quoted as saying by the Central News Agency yesterday.
According to a source familiar with Taiwan-US relations, speaking on condition of anonymity, the AIT posted the interview to emphasize Moriarty’s warning that external forces would attempt to manipulate public opinion regarding the election.
Asked about Moriarty’s warning, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) New Taipei City mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the elections are Taiwan’s business alone and embody its democratic values.
The observations by “our friend from the US are a reminder to Taiwanese that they should do more to defend these values and must not let external forces succeed in their goal” of meddling in Taiwan’s elections, he said.
DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said it is a fact that China has repeatedly meddled in the elections.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) said that voters must be vigilant and resilient against the influence of external forces.
Emphasizing the importance of economic development and quality of life, Ting added that people should vote for candidates who can best provide them with a high standard of living.
This story has been updated since it was first published to clarify that the comment about the AIT wanting to emphasize Moriarty’s warning was not made by the AIT spokeswoman.
‘TRUSTED PARTNER’: The company said that it is ‘committed to help bring an end to the pandemic,’ while the health minister denied it was a ‘chips for vaccines’ deal BioNTech on Wednesday said that it plans to provide its COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced that in December last year the German company at the last minute halted a deal for the nation to to buy 5 million doses. Earlier on Wednesday, Chen said that officials were on the verge of announcing the deal when BioNTech pulled the plug, although he added that it was still pending and had not been torn up. While he did not say that China was to blame, Chen implied there was a political dimension to the decision. “BioNTech
SPY GAMES: For more than 20 years, intelligence officers traveled to China, where they identified other MIB personnel and allegedly traded secrets for money and gifts The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted four retired Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) officials, who are accused of providing China with a list of bureau personnel and other classified materials while attempting to recruit colleagues into a spy network in Taiwan. Prosecutors charged Chang Chao-jan (張超然), Chou Tien-tzu (周天慈) and Wang Ta-wang (王大旺), former colonels at the bureau, and Yueh Chih-chung (岳志忠) — a former major general and chief of the MIB’s Fifth Bureau, where he was in charge of sending agents to China on covert assignments — with breaches of the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the National Intelligence Services
CONTINUED VIGILANCE: People would still be required to wear masks at eight types of public spaces and border controls would continue, Chen Shih-chung told reporters The government’s autumn-winter COVID-19 prevention program is to continue beyond Sunday, but eating and drinking on high-speed trains would be allowed from Monday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that while there were no new confirmed cases in Taiwan yesterday, the global COVID-19 situation remains serious, so the autumn-winter COVID-19 prevention program would be extended beyond its Sunday deadline. “Border control measures, including requiring a negative polymerase chain reaction test result obtained within three days of boarding a plane to Taiwan, and undergoing quarantine in a
MORE RISK? Three Taiwanese family members were found to have the Brazilian variant, which CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo said might be more infectious From Wednesday, all travelers who have been in Brazil in the past 14 days are required to be quarantined at a centralized facility after arriving in Taiwan and undergo a COVID-19 test upon ending quarantine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that starting from 12am on Wednesday, all travelers arriving from Brazil, including those who have transited through the country in the past 14 days, would have to stay at a centralized quarantine facility. “They will be tested for COVID-19 upon completing the 14-day quarantine, and they
RSS