Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday launched two more online media outlets to coincide with UN Day.
In May, Lu launched Formosa Weekly (玉山周報), the online version of her weekly afternoon newspaper, Yushan Wubao (玉山午報), saying the paper’s aim was to push for progress on many fronts, including pushing for Taiwan’s normalization.
Lu yesterday introduced Formosa Media (玉山電報) and the Formosa Post (玉山公民網), both in electronic form. Formosa Media will focus on timely news stories in video form, while the Formosa Post will publish articles and analyses by “citizen reporters.” Lu promised to launch an English version within six months.
Lu said electronic media was important in today’s digital era, while English was important to distribute news about Taiwan.
Lu said she organized a forum to discuss the court ruling in former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) first trial last month, which was broadcast live online by Formosa Weekly. She soon received a call from Chen’s office telling her that the former president was watching it.
“I thought: ‘He’s living a pretty good life in there,’” she said. “When I was in jail, that kind of thing didn’t happen.”
Former vice premier Wu Rong-i (吳榮義) said many of his friends thought Lu was taking a big risk by starting a newspaper because it is a loss-making business, especially during an economic downturn. Lu is determined, however, and her resolve is what has kept the newspaper going, he said.
A story published in the first issue of Formosa Media outlines the country’s long-term campaign to join the UN and says Taiwan could wind up at China’s mercy if the administration continues to fawn over Beijing.
At yesterday’s launch ceremony, Lu accused President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of abandoning the campaign to join the UN this year.
Ma has given up hope, Lu said, but the public has not.
“There is still a long way to go,” she said, adding that the public should not forget the goal.
Having tried to regain its seat at the UN every year since the early 1990s, the government last month said this year it would instead seek “meaningful participation” in two UN agencies: the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Many of the country’s diplomatic allies have signed a position paper in support of the UNFCCC and ICAO bids.
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