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Aboriginal TV channel budget freeze finally ends

A freeze on the annual budget of the nation's Aboriginal Television Channel imposed in January by the opposition-controlled legislature was lifted yesterday.

The end of the freeze came after Walis Pelin (瓦歷斯．貝林), minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, warned several days ago that the channel would fold by the end of May if the freeze were not lifted soon.

Also, independent aboriginal Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) questioned the fairness of the Hakka Television Channel receiving a much higher annual budget than Aboriginal TV.

Chin also queried the appropriateness of giving Aboriginal TV's annual budget to the private Eastern Multimedia Group, which in turn produces all programs aired by Aboriginal TV.

Chin demanded that the Council of Indigenous Peoples come up with a plan to help secure Aboriginal TV's independence. Otherwise, she said, the channel should be disbanded and its annual budget used to hire another station to produce better programs.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Hsiu-hui (陳秀惠) said that the best means by which Aboriginal TV could maintain its independence would be to free the channel from the influence of legislators.

Chen said there had been too much influence-peddling by legislators seeking to pressure the station into employing associates.

The freeze on two other budget items concerning the Council of Indigenous Peoples -- the budget for the building and maintenance of 37 Aboriginal museums islandwide and the budget for the development of modern Aboriginal communities -- were also lifted during the session of the Legislative Yuan Home and Nations Committee yesterday.
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