A legislator of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday termed a request by the legislative caucus of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to disband a media monitoring group as "outrageous."
DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (
Hsiao said that the KMT had the media firmly in its grip through its party-run enterprises while in power, and that it thinks the DPP is doing the same.
She said that the civic groups are offering their views on media direction out of their free will and it is "unfair" that they be accused of being "unfair" by the KMT.
The legislative caucus of the KMT said the number and size of the media should be decided by free competition of market forces and political forces shouldn't meddle with media development.
The KMT caucus said the "cutting electronic media by half" drive launched by some civic groups is an attempt to stifle freedom of speech under the name of media reform, noting that Lin Yu-huei (
The media monitoring group as well as other groups called on the Government Information Office (GIO) Wednesday, asking it to show its resolve and be stringent in renewing the licenses of cable TV stations to "phase out" media of lower quality.
The legislative caucus of the Taiwan Solidarity Union, a DPP ally, said that it supports press freedom, but the media should also possess self-discipline. Ho Min-hao (
He suggested that the media and the GIO meet to thrash out self-discipline guidelines to facilitate regulation by the GIO.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
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Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all