The Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday released a statement, denying accusations made by the International Federation of Journalists’ (IFJ) that it has interfered in the nation’s state-owned media.
The GIO said in a statement that an article posted on the IFJ Web site titled IFJ Condemns Government Interference in Taiwan Media had cited “unverified information” and was an “incorrect report.” The GIO said that it has instructed Taiwan’s representative office in Australia to “clarify the facts” and “demand a correction of the misleading article.”
“Since the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] government took office on May 20, it has never interfered with personnel decisions at the state-owned Central News Agency [CNA], Radio Taiwan International [RTI] and Taiwan Public Television Service [PTS], their operations or news coverage by their reporters,” the GIO statement said.
The GIO issued the rebuttal in response to a statement posted by the IFJ on its Web site on Oct 9.
The IFJ said it had learned that the GIO demanded that CNA withdraw a story critical of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and altered reports about milk powder imported from China that was contaminated with melamine.
The GIO was also implicated after Cheng Yu (鄭優), the chairman of RTI, Taiwan’s state-owned broadcaster, claimed that the government had asked RTI not to broadcast reports that were too critical of China, the IFJ said.
The IFJ also criticized the KMT government for appointing Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), a former spokesperson for Ma’s campaign, to the position of deputy president of CNA and nominating four KMT legislators to new positions on the supervisory board for PTS.
The IFJ condemned the apparent interference in state-owned media and urged government authorities to refrain from further acts that could jeopardize editorial independence.
In its rebuttal, the GIO said Lo was appointed by the board of CNA and not the GIO, adding that Cheng had expressed the intention to resign since May 20 and offered his resignation on Oct. 1.
The GIO said the IFJ’s accusation that the government had interfered in personnel decisions at PTS was not true because the four lawmakers were appointed to a commission in charge of reviewing the board members of PTS. The commission members were chosen in accordance with the percentage of seats in the legislature held by political parties and were decided by the legislature.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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