The much-anticipated National Communications Commission (NCC) was officially launched yesterday, with its nine members unanimously choosing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-backed Su Yeong-chin (
The first NCC meeting, mandated by law, also elected Shyr Shry-hau (
Su said after the election that both the chairman and two vice chairmen were elected by the NCC members themselves.
Each position was put to the vote once, and the results were finalized after three elections in total. All three officials were approved by the NCC members without any opposition, Su said.
He denied that the commission members had struck a deal on the election beforehand, adding that the three top officials represent different parties, which fulfils the law's requirement for diversity in the NCC.
The meeting yesterday revealed neither a specific plan nor a timetable for what the commission attempts to accomplish this year.
"The most important thing right now [to the commission] is to win the trust of the people," Su said.
The legislature approved the Organic Law of the National Communications Commission (
Except for Lu Chung-chin (
Last week, three of the nominees -- Chen Ming-syan (
For the remaining nine commission members, seven are backed by the KMT, and one each by the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union. In terms of their expertise, three commission members are representatives from the media, four are legal experts, one is a telecommunications professional and one is a consumer advocate.
In response to concern that the composition of the NCC could allow party politics to interfere with the operation of administrative agencies, Su said yesterday that the NCC is an independent body responsible for executing the nation's media laws.
It is also charged with the mission of regulating the telecommunications, information and broadcasting sectors, he said.
Su added that the commission cannot propose legislation, but could offer suggestions independent of both the Executive Yuan and the parliament.
He said that the lack of representation from the telecommunications industry would not be an issue.
In addition to the commission members, the NCC will recruit an additional 500 to 700 employees from the ranks of former employees of the broadcasting division of the Government Information Office and the Directorate-General of Telecommunications.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
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About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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