The Taipei City Government said it would investigate after users of Chunghwa Telecom’s multimedia-on-demand (MOD) service recently complained that Republic of China (ROC) national flags had been censored in a documentary on the Taipei Summer Universiade shown on the service.
The behind-the-scenes documentary was commissioned by the city government’s Department of Information and Tourism at a cost of NT$5.88 million (US$195,342) and was shown on the National Geographic Channel through MOD.
Department Commissioner Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said the version that was broadcast was an edited version intended for the Hong Kong market, adding that she would investigate the issue thoroughly and seek compensation from the producer.
Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei Times
“I knew nothing about it,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said on Friday when reporters asked him about the flag being pixelated whenever it appears in the documentary, adding that he would ask the department to look into it.
There is nowhere that China’s pressure on Taiwan is not felt, Ko added.
Attending a press event for the documentary’s release on Oct. 31, Ko praised the film, saying he was moved by it.
Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei Times
While the documentary had been edited for broadcasts in Hong Kong, viewers in Southeast Asian markets also reported seeing pixelated ROC flags, the department said.
At a city council meeting on Friday, Taipei City Councilor Li Keng Kuei-fang (厲耿桂芳), of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and Taipei City Councilor Wang Ming-sheng (王閔生), of the Democratic Progressive Party, agreed that the censorship of the flag was an insult to the nation and that the broadcast of the censored version raised questions.
“This is absurd. This has to do with respecting the nation, we must protest,” Li Keng said.
Wang said the issue represented a careless oversight by city officials and that those responsible must be found.
“If it turns out that the original terms of the contract were not met, then we have the right to seek compensation,” Wang said.
National Geographic Channel said it was following Chinese legal requirements in editing the film for the Hong Kong and Macao markets, but the contract stipulates that any changes must be approved by the Taipei City Government, Department Deputy Director Wang Ta-tung (王大同) said, adding that unilateral changes to the documentary by the broadcaster are unacceptable to the city government.
If the city finds that the contract’s terms were violated it will seek a 20 percent refund, Chien said. Ko said the city should seek double those terms in compensation and that both parties to a contract should be bound by its terms.
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
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
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS