Taipei Detention House Deputy Director Lee Ta-chu (李大竹) told a press conference yesterday that Financial Times (FT) reporter Robin Kwong had not been given permission to interview former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last week.
Lee also apologized for the center’s negligence.
His statement came in response to questions over the center’s conduct after an interview with Chen appeared in the London-based newspaper on Monday.
Chen has been detained at the Tucheng (土城), Taipei County, center since late December. Kwong interviewed him in the presence of a prison guard.
Lee said regulations stipulate that reporters must apply to the detention center to interview a detainee, and interviews can only be conducted after official permission has been given and the detainee agrees to talk to reporters. Kwong had not done so, he said.
Chen told Kwong that he was innocent, adding that the case against him was a political witchhunt launched by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government.
GIO ANGERED
Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) accused the FT of deliberately defying Taiwan’s laws.
He said the Ministry of Justice was mulling how to punish the detention center, Chen and the newspaper.
“I regret [Kwong’s move]. Such a case is unbelievable. I believe international media outlets would pass their own judgment regarding whether [Chen] is really a democracy activist,” Su said.
“We will contact international media outlets and clarify things that are untrue and that may tarnish Taiwan’s image. We hope they will report correct information we provide to them,” he said.
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) said the justice ministry should punish officials at the detention center for neglecting their duties.
The GIO should also protest to the FT, he said.
“We should also investigate whether the reporter [wrote the story] because he took money from Chen Shui-bian,” Chiu said, calling for the government to make Kwong persona non grata.
LINE CROSSED?
KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) said Chen had “crossed the line.”
“Maybe next he would hold a book signing [at the center] or even call out [to talk shows],” the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, Association of Taiwan Journalists president Leon Chuang (莊豐嘉) said if any blame was to be apportioned, it should be the considered the fault of Chen’s office for sneaking Kwong into the center without permission.
“Reporters everywhere are the same. We will do anything and everything to cover the news, especially from a detainee,” said Chuang, adding that Kwong was merely “doing his job.”
Chuang, however, said that by favoring the foreign media, Chen’s office had probably angered local reporters because it might indicate a mistrust of the Taiwanese press by Chen’s staff.
By granting an exclusive interview to the FT, Chen’s office might reap short-term benefits, but will end up paying for it in the long run, he said.
Max Hirsch, president of the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents Club, refused to comment on the matter yesterday. Kwong was unavailable for comment.
ARRANGEMENTS
Cable channel Formosa TV reported that Kwong said the entire interview was set up by Chen’s office.
Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘), the secretary of Chen’s office, said the meeting should not be considered an official interview. The office agreed to set up the meeting because Kwong simply wanted to get to know Chen’s thoughts, he said.
“It was not an official interview or a news report. What the reporter did was merely publicize details of the question and answer session with Chen,” Chiang said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND AGENCIES
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
RSS