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Eugene Chien fears for reporters' safety in Iraq

Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) yesterday advised domestic news organizations not to send reporters to Iraq as the government cannot guarantee their safety.

Chien made the remarks at the opening of a training workshop for journalists who might be assigned to the Middle East to cover a possible US-led war against Iraq.

Nearly 30 reporters -- all of whom were male with the exception of one female -- took part in the one-day seminar for war correspondents held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense yesterday.

Asked whether Taiwanese reporters could enter Iraq, Chien said that the Iraqi government might not necessarily welcome foreign reporters and that if reporters enter that country through unofficial channels, their safety cannot be guaranteed.

The seminar was the first of its kind organized by the government to help reporters improve their safety in combat situations.

During the morning session at the foreign ministry, officials offered a rough introduction to the Middle East and updated information on visa and press-credential applications for various Gulf and Middle Eastern countries.

But Chien tried to dissuade reporters from going to Iraq to cover any US-led attack to disarm Baghdad because of concerns for their safety.

Taiwan and Iraq have had only rare official contacts since they severed diplomatic ties in 1981, so any help the government can offer to reporters facing trouble in Iraq would be limited, Chien said.

But reporters said they were heading to the region in an attempt to get first-hand reports different from those colored with Western-dominated views.

"We'd like to offer views different from those of the West," said Tsai Ming-che (蔡明哲), a reporter with Formosa Television.

"Our objective is to reach Baghdad ... I would be curious to explore how the Iraqi people have survived over the past years in the face of sanctions," Tsai said.

However, Tsai said he would put safety ahead of pursuing news stories in the region.

The issue of reporters' safety came to the fore during the campaign in Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the US.

According to a study by Reporters without Borders, out of 31 journalists killed in 2001 for practicing their profession, eight lost their lives in Afghanistan.

During the afternoon session of the seminar held at a military base in Taoyuan County, reporters attended courses designed to help them cope with combat scenarios. The courses included information on first aid and preparation for the outbreak of chemical warfare.

Many reporters from major television stations in Taiwan have already traveled to the Middle East or are preparing to go there.

Journalists from the country's two major Chinese-language dailies are also slated to be dispatched to the region, sources said.
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