Vice President Annette Lu (
"The VCD series were not produced by the government or any political parties," she said. "Those who participate in evening talk shows on TV seem to feel that their opinions represent mainstream public opinion."
"It looks like many are displeased with the media's hegemony and are launching a drastic counterattack," Lu said at a press conference to publicize International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which is observed each year on Nov. 25.
"I hoped that the people would realize that it is a problem of media environment, not a political issue," she said.
She also appealed to the public to stop hurting one another by escalating the political and legal conflicts stemming from the VCDs.
Lu said that she would not make any wild guess in political perspective but would like to review the entire event on the base of human rights as well as legal angles.
The VCD series makes fun of pan-blue politicians as well as some talk-show hosts, such as Clara Chou (周玉蔻), Independent Legislator Sisy Chen (陳文茜) and former DPP National Assembly representative Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文)
Lu declined to comment when asked whether reports implying that Chen and Cheng have had close relationships with senior male politicians violated the women's rights.
She said people who do not like to be criticized should "not do to others what they don't want done to themselves."
"Whoever has the power of speech should reflect on what they have done to the others," Lu said. "One will feel how painful and unbearable it is, when he or she becomes a victim."
"It is ironic that people have to express their opinions in such an abnormal way, since we now enjoy 100 percent freedom of speech," she said.
Lu said that everybody should be responsible for their own speech and that those who control the media should take responsibility for their reports, not the government.
She also spoke about domestic violence at the press conference, saying it was more harmful to the women of Taiwan than SARS.
"According to the data from the Ministry of the Interior, there are eight cases of sexual violence and nearly 100 cases of domestic violence against women every day," Lu said. "We should teach all the women in this country how to protect themselves and where they can go to seek assistance."
Lu said she worried that society was spending too many resources on election campaigns and political struggles and too little attention is paid to issues such as the rising suicide rate, working women's rights and domestic violence.
"The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women reminds us that so many women still face violence and are struggling in a dark corner," Lu said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it