GIO unclear on TVBS punishment

Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Pasuya Yao (姚文智) said yesterday that the GIO has not yet decided how to punish TVBS for not responding to the office's request for action over the source of the station's funding.

"We have not decided how to handle the case yet. But we will definitely make public our decision as soon as it is finalized," Yao said.

The minister made the remarks during the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning. He was asked for the latest developments in the case as the 40-day deadline given to TVBS by the GIO expired on Tuesday.

As of press time yesterday, Yao was still insisting that TVBS was a 100 percent foreign-owned company, which is in violation of local laws. Forty days ago, the GIO asked TVBS to come up with a solution to the matter or the TV station would face "punishment."

Although promising that the GIO will "punish" TVBS, Yao said that the station's operating license is legal.

"TVBS applied for its Channel 56 license as a variety channel, which means there should be a mixture of news programs, soap operas and other programming. There is no problem with that," Yao said.

Yao a rumor which has been circulating since Tuesday that the GIO will force TVBS to move its channels. In response to suggestions that Taiwan interfered with press freedoms, Yao took advantage of Freedom House's recently-published annual press freedom report, which was made public on Tuesday, to explain that this was sufficient evidence to show that the government did not interfere with press freedom.

"The report did not identify Taiwan as a free country for nothing," Yao said. "It is impossible for the government to force the media to do anything."