Graduate student Lin Ting-an (林庭安) has publicized her exchanges with renowned US linguist and academic Noam Chomsky to rebut claims that the famed social activist had been misled into supporting the movement against media monopolization in Taiwan.
A photograph posted on Facebook on Jan. 5 by a female netizen who identified herself as Lao Tzu-hung (劉子鳳) showed the 84-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor posing with a poster that read: “Anti-Media Monopoly. Say no to China’s black hands, defend press freedom. I am safeguarding Taiwan here in MIT.”
The photograph triggered a fervent response among netizens, with some expressing gratitude for his support.
Photo: Liu Li-jen, Taipei Times
The Chinese-language China Times — owned by Want Want China Times Group, which is part of the consortium that bought Next Media Group’s four Taiwanese media outlets — on Tuesday quoted Liu Shih Diing (劉世鼎), a University of Macau associate communications professor, as saying Chomsky had been tricked by Taiwanese students into holding the sign. Liu was quoted as saying Chomsky did not understand the sign.
Lin responded on Tuesday by publicizing her correspondence with Chomsky on Dec. 26 last year, in which Lin explained the reasons for the movement against media monopolization.
“There is now an activity that urges global supporters to photograph themselves, holding the slogan ‘Oppose Media Monopoly, Reject the black hand of China, uphold freedom of the press, I protect Taiwan in _____,’ and upload it online,” the e-mail read.
In the e-mail Lin asked permission to visit Chomsky on Jan. 7 when she would be visiting MIT.
She said Chomsky replied to her e-mail by saying: “Glad to hear about what you are doing. An important struggle.”
Lin, who is studying at the Institute of Philosophy of Mind and Cognition at National Yang Ming University in Taipei, said that when she met Chomsky at MIT, he asked her to explain the situation again and she did.
Lin said she was certain Chomsky had a good understanding of the students’ campaign.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
RSS