Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday called for ethnic harmony amid an uproar over racist articles published by a former Government Information Office (GIO) official, and brushed off concerns about damage to the party’s chances in Saturday’s by-election in Taipei’s Da-an District (大安).
Kuo Kuan-ying (郭冠英), the former acting director of the information division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto, was relieved of his status as a civil servant by the GIO on Monday after he admitted writing a series of online articles smearing Taiwan and Taiwanese under the pen name Fan Lan-chin (范蘭欽).
Wu yesterday denounced politicians who sought to use Kuo’s comments to manipulate ethnic issues.
“It’s immoral to manipulate the issue,” he said. “We should denounce any individuals or political group that use the issue to create social confrontations.”
“The KMT will not accept any comments made to create ethnic confrontation,” Wu said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with CTI-TV, which aired yesterday, Kuo said his apology on March 16 was made “under duress.”
At the time, Kuo, who was summoned to Taipei by the GIO, only apologized for the controversy generated by the articles, not for writing them.
GIO Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said it did not force Kuo to apologize.
Following interviews with CTI-TV and TVBS, Kuo conducted an interview with ETTV, which also aired yesterday.
“Pro-independent activists were allowed to say: ‘What the hell is the Republic of China?’ ... Why was I not allowed to post articles on a blog, off the radar screen? What kind of society is Taiwan?” Kuo said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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