The arrest of three journalists on Thursday for entering the Ministry of Education building to cover a protest over proposed adjustments to high-school curriculum guidelines could muzzle the freedom of the press, one of those arrested said yesterday.
Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) photographer Liao Chen-huei (廖振輝), Coolloud Collective reporter Sung Hsiao-hai (宋小海) and freelance journalist Lin Yu-yo (林雨佑) were among 33 people detained by police for entering the building on Thursday night. The journalists were put under house arrest after each refused to post bail of NT$10,000 on Friday.
“I saw students breaking into [the ministry’s headquarters], and I instinctively thought that it might be a repetition of the Sunflower movement,” Liao said. “As a reporter, how could I not follow them to witness a historic moment?”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The Sunflower movement was a 23-day student-led protest during which protesters occupied the main legislative chamber last year. The protest was over what critics called the government’s opaque handling of a service trade agreement with China.
Liao said he was at the site to cover protests in front of the building on Thursday night, adding that he followed protesters who entered the building, photographing events as they unfolded, including the initial arrests.
An officer tried to persuade him and the other two journalists to keep away while officers were making the arrests, Liao said.
However, they were allowed to remain until an officer, seemingly the commander on the scene, told them that the police had to arrest and detain students and reporters alike because the ministry insisted on filing charges against all intruders, Liao said, adding that the three journalists were not allowed to access their cellphones or laptops.
The police confiscated Liao’s cellphone, and his request to call the Liberty Times office to say he was safe was denied by police, who told Liao that they had to ask a supervisor for permission.
Liao said he did not know whether the officers had relayed his request, adding that he was not allowed to make any calls during the first few hours of his detention.
Liao asked why they were being treated like criminals when reporters were allowed into the Legislative Yuan during the Sunflower protests.
Police violence against reporters could easily lead to a chilling conclusion, he said.
Asked if he would cover protesters breaking into restricted sites again, despite spending a day in custody and facing a legal battle, Liao said: “I would definitely follow [protesters] and go where they go.”
“We need more reporters [at such occurences] so the government does not dare abuse its power and infringe on the freedom of the press,” he said.
Sung said that after being arrested, the three journalists were kept in the ministry’s lobby, with SWAT officers standing guard.
“I asked an officer: If we are being arrested, could we contact lawyers? However, the officer said he had to ask his supervisor,” Sung said. “We waited for more than an hour before someone said that the ministry would be pressing charges. However, when we were transferred to police headquarters at about 2am, the police said they had to make sure the ministry really wanted to take legal action.”
Lin said that when he was taking pictures before being arrested, officers tried to prevent him from doing so by covering his camera and threatening to arrest him for obstructing officers of the law.
“If the police were acting according to the law, why were they so afraid of journalists and protesters recording everything? What is the legal basis for the police to stop journalists and protesters from taking pictures?” Lin said.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition of being “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget bill. “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation. “With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice,” he
‘IMPORTANCE OF PEACE’: President Lai was welcomed by AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and others President William Lai (賴清德) was feted with red carpets, garlands of flowers and “alohas” as he began his two-day stopover in Hawaii on Saturday, part of a Pacific tour. Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai flitted around the US island state, visiting the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Hawaii’s leading museum of natural history and native Hawaiian culture, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Lai was given the “red carpet treatment” on the tarmac of Honolulu’s international airport, his office said, adding that it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such
REGIONAL STABILITY: The arms sale to Taiwan is the 18th approved by US President Joe Biden’s administration and the sixth since William Lai was elected president on Jan. 13 The US government on Friday announced arms sales involving spare parts and support for F-16 fighter aircraft and follow-up support for Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment (IMSE), at a total cost of US$387 million. It is the 18th arms sale approved by US President Joe Biden’s administration to Taiwan and the sixth since the nation’s presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it delivered the required certification notifying the US Congress of the latest arms sale on Friday. The proposed arms sale is consistent with US law and policy as expressed in Public Law
The Mainland Affairs Council and lawmakers yesterday accused a visiting Chinese university student of denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty by referring to the national baseball team that won a first-ever Premier12 title as “China, Taipei team” (中國台北隊). “We deeply regret the Chinese student’s words, that have hurt the feelings of Taiwanese... The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, as the organizers, should remind group members not to use inappropriate words and behavior,” a council statement said. “We hope these young Chinese can accurately observe the true views of Taiwanese, which would be a positive development for interactions between young people on the two sides of the Taiwan
RSS