Taiwan ranked No. 1 among Asian countries and No. 32 in the world on press freedom this year, said the Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007 released on Tuesday by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.
Taiwan ranked No. 43 in the world last year and No. 51 in 2005, the organization said.
Taiwan came ahead of Japan, which ranked No. 37 in the world, and the US, which ranked No. 48 this year. China, meanwhile, ranked No. 163 among the 169 countries measured in the index.
Commenting on Taiwan's improving ranking, Cabinet spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (
Welcoming the nation's improved ranking, Shieh, who is also minister of the Government Information Office, said it was a result of democratization, in which human rights, freedom of speech and press freedom are fully respected.
"Taiwan's ranking is the pride of all Chinese [sic] communities in the world," Shieh said, adding there is still room for improvement and that the administration would not grow complacent on the subject.
The government will work to continue improving press freedom, with the hope that it will allow the international community to get a better understanding of the developments Taiwan has made on matters of democratization, freedom and human rights, he said.
In this year's report, Iceland ranked No. 1, followed, in order, by Norway, Estonia, Slovakia, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Portugal. Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea were at the bottom of the list.
Of the 20 countries at the bottom of the list, seven were located in Asia (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, China, Myanmar and North Korea). Five were in Africa, four were in the Middle East, three were former Soviet republics and one was in the Americas (Cuba).
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
RSS