Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators marched to the Control Yuan yesterday to accuse the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of spreading “racist” propaganda in its recent efforts to promote an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
Led by caucus convener Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) and secretary-general Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), the group, which included DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), also called on the Control Yuan to expedite the vote-buying case against former Chinese Nationalist Party legislator Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井).
The case has already passed its six-month review period, the DPP said.
The MOEA last Monday unveiled a comic strip explaining the ECFA to gain public support for the trade pact.
The cartoon drew heavy criticism from the DPP, which accused the ministry of discrimination.
The comic strip featured two characters — Yi-ge, an ethnic Taiwanese, male vocational school graduate from Tainan who speaks poor Mandarin, and his female counterpart, Fa-sao, a Hakka from Hsinchu with a high-ranking job at an import/export company.
While Yi-ge is portrayed as an unmotivated individual who is clueless about the ECFA yet opposed to it, Fa-sao is well-informed and ambitious and supports the trade deal.
“The cartoon obviously looks down on those from Tainan. This is blatant racial and gender discrimination,” Chai said, adding that MOEA Minister Yiin Chii-ming’s (尹啟銘) apology was not enough and the ministry should stop distribution of the leaflet.
Cheng said the MOEA was arrogant and prejudiced and that it was unfathomable that the government would promote its policy at the expense of smearing ethnic Taiwanese.
Control Yuan review committee member Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄) said he had not seen the comic strip, but if the material was as inflammatory as described by the pan-green camp, “then there would be room for review.”
Regarding the case against Liao, Huang said he would look into the matter and ask the agencies involved to explain the delay.
Liao was found guilty of vote-buying at his first trial in October. The court annulled his election to the legislature. The Taiwan High Court took over the case in December.
Cheng said according to the Public Official Election and Recall Law (公職人員選舉罷免法), a verdict must be reached within six months.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and