A pair of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday accused the general manager of cable station TVBS, Lee Tao (
Legislators William Lai (賴清德) and Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) called on the National Communications Commission (NCC) to launch an investigation into TVBS and its political talk shows.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (
At a press conference yesterday, Lai and Hsu said Lee and his wife offered information about Wu to Chiu when the lawmaker was a guest on Lee's talk show and when he held press conferences at the legislature.
"Lee wanted to bring about the collapse the DPP government. His political talk show, 2100 Quan Min Kai Jiang (Speaking Your Mind at 2100) has upset social stability," Lai said.
Lai also demanded that TVBS investigate Lee and his wife to see if they have abused freedom of the press by making politically biased allegations against the government.
"If it is proven that the Lees did incite political unrest, I urge TVBS to oust them so that the media can retain its impartiality. They are just black sheep," Lai said.
Lai said the NCC was established to protect the freedom and purity of the media and he urged the commission to immediately begin an investigation to determine whether the couple acted out of malicious spite and political bias.
"If what we have said is true, then it would not be a loss [to society] if TVBS was shut down," Lai said.
Lee issued a press release yesterday afternoon defending his actions. He said he could not accept the two lawmakers' criticism because he has simply been pursuing the truth.
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
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon