A spokesman for the Taipei City government made a last ditch attempt yesterday to stop the implementation of new cable television regulations by launching another verbal attack on the Government Information Office (GIO, 新聞局) and its spokesman.
As the government has shown no signs of vetoing recently passed amendments to the Cable Television Law (
His attacks were immediately countered by the director of radio and television affairs at the GIO, Chang Chong-jen (張崇仁). Chang asked King to apologize for his insinuation that Chang had collaborated with local cable television operators to hurriedly push amendments to the cable law through last week.
The law was passed last Thursday, the final day of the Legislative Yuan's fall session.
"He's obliged by law to provide hard evidence to prove his allegations against me, otherwise he owes me a public apology for defamation," Chang said.
Chang added, however, that if King refused his request he would not push the issue further.
"Time will eventually prove my innocence and the public will know the truth," he said.
"It's unbelievable that King, who was a former university professor of journalism and currently a city spokesperson, could make such a groundless accusation against an innocent person. I don't know how he can teach his students about credibility and telling the city residents about truth," he said.
Su also responded to King's accusations.
King said that he doubts Su's capability as GIO director, saying that Su had made "improper political remarks" when he proposed that Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
King also said that the Taipei City Government does not rule out the possibility of requesting a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices should the Executive Yuan refuse to call for a veto.
Visibly displeased with King's remark, Su said that "King sounds as if he is my supervisor. He first wanted me to call a meeting, and now he doubts my capability. It seems to me that he's the one who's confused about the role he's playing," Su said.
He added that when King paid him a visit on Friday, he already told King that it was not feasible to seek a veto unless the GIO can prove that it is difficult to carry out the law.
"His insistence on seeking a veto makes me wonder what the city's motives are. Does it really want to solve the problem or is it more interested in political gains?" Su said. He said that he himself also felt sorry about the hasty passage of the amended law.
"But since the law has been passed, let's now focus on how to deal with it, and that's what we're going to do at tomorrow's meeting," he said. The GIO is willing to listen to different voices, Su said, "but don't think that King speaks for other local governments," he said.
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ACCOUNTABILITY: The incident, which occured at a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung, was allegedly caused by a gas explosion on the 12th floor Shin Kong Group (新光集團) president Richard Wu (吳昕陽) yesterday said the company would take responsibility for an apparent gas explosion that resulted in four deaths and 26 injuries at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store in Taichung yesterday. The Taichung Fire Bureau at 11:33am yesterday received a report saying that people were injured after an explosion at the department store on Section 3 of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯). It sent 56 ambulances and 136 paramedics to the site, with the people injured sent to Cheng Ching Hospital’s Chung Kang Branch, Wuri Lin Shin Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital or Chung
ALL-IN-ONE: A company in Tainan and another in New Taipei City offer tours to China during which Taiwanese can apply for a Chinese ID card, the source said The National Immigration Agency and national security authorities have identified at least five companies that help Taiwanese apply for Chinese identification cards while traveling in China, a source said yesterday. The issue has garnered attention in the past few months after YouTuber “Pa Chiung” (八炯) said that there are companies in Taiwan that help Taiwanese apply for Chinese documents. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) last week said that three to five public relations firms in southern and northern Taiwan have allegedly assisted Taiwanese in applying for Chinese ID cards and were under investigation for potential contraventions of the Act Governing
‘LAWFUL USE’: The last time a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, and this week’s transit is the first of US President Donald Trump’s second term Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, the first such mission since US President Donald Trump took office last month. The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the ministry said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual. The ministry did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from