Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun's comments on Thursday announcing the Chinese-language China Times as persona non grata and to which the DPP would deny access drew a mixed reaction from legislators yesterday.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (
"Chairman Yu has a personal grievance with the China Times, but that should not be elevated to party level," Ker said. "We 100 percent respect freedom of the press, but we also hope the press maintains impartiality."
Yu declared the boycott on Thursday after he appeared in court for a defamation lawsuit against the paper after it claimed that Yu used the term "Chinese pigs" to refer to anti-President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) protesters in a front page story on Sep 25.
Although the paper later acknowledged the accusation made in its story was groundless, Yu did not withdraw the lawsuit.
Yu criticized the paper's editor-in-chief, Wang Chien-chuang (王健壯) for making it a "mouthpiece" of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The DPP late on Thursday night issued a statement to elaborate on Yu's comments.
It said Yu's action against the China Times was aimed at the paper's "twisted guiding principles resulting from political and economic interests" and that "it was not an attempt to deny journalists' rights to work."
"The China Times has lost its objectivity because of meddling in political wrangles," the statement said.
It added that Yu's announcement was in line with the party's platform to safeguard press freedom.
DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (
DPP Lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said that while he personally would not refuse to be interviewed by the paper, the boycott could serve as a warning for the paper to engage in some introspection.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"I believe that many politicians have mixed feelings about the press, but the media is, after all, the Fourth Estate, which is an important tool to guarantee diversity in a democratic society," Ma said, adding that he believed Yu had overreacted.
When asked by the press to comment, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he felt awkward discussing the matter.
"Whatever I say would be interpreted as a criticism of [Yu]," Wang said.
Wang said Yu's action was understandable, but he added that he would not do the same thing if he were Yu.
"I was often [misunderstood] by the press," Wang told reporters. "You often made a fuss over what I said, but I chose to leave it at that."
KMT lawmakers were less than tactful in their comments on Yu, blasting his announcement as akin to "political terrorism."
"Yu stifles free speech," KMT Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (
KMT Legislator Lin Te-fu (
The KMT lawmakers asked Yu to revoke his announcement, which they said would do "harm to the country's democracy and the public's right to know."
also see story:
Editorial: Yu slaps himself in the face
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
RSS