Opposition legislators lambasted the Government Information Office's (GIO) NT$1.1 billion promotions project again yesterday, this time suggesting that the project is a tactic to extort funds from other government agencies.
"The information provided by the GIO has not clearly indicated the sources of the fund, the purpose of the fund or details as to how the fund will function," charged PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
Liu was referring to a list provided by the GIO detailing how the numerous government agencies would share the NT$1.1 billion advertising budget. The information was provided at Liu's request after his press conference last week.
At that conference Liu criticized the GIO's plan combine advertising budgets for various agencies including state-owned enterprises such as Chung-Hwa Telecom and Taipower.
Liu has also accused the GIO of manipulating the advertising in a bid to boost President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) image in the run-up to the election next March.
Yesterday, Liu alleged that individual government agencies were in the dark about how their budgets were to be used.
He charged that the GIO was extorting funds from the various government agencies and using its "uniform purchase" policy as cover.
The GIO has dismissed such allegations categorically, explaining that the department was integrating the advertising budgets of various government agencies in order to achieve the economies afforded by bulk purchasing.
Liu and Pan said that they would monitor the whole bidding process and would appeal to the Control Yuan if they suspected any irregularities.
When asked to comment, GIO Deputy Director-General Hung Chiang-chuan (
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard