Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) yesterday clashed with National Security Bureau Deputy Director-General Chen Wen-fan (陳文凡) over whether China is spreading fake news in Taiwan.
The exchange occurred during Chen’s report to the Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee, which had asked the National Security Bureau to brief lawmakers on its use of budgetary items listed as “monitoring communications” and “telecom operations.”
At his turn to question Chen, Lai said: “Is it true that China is somehow influencing Taiwanese public debate?”
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
When Chen said: “Beyond a doubt,” Lai said: “You are calling Taiwanese idiots by saying this. Is there any evidence?”
Chen said a Nov. 8 story claiming that the US had annexed Itu Aba (Taiping Island, 太平島) at President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) invitation and that Beijing had declared war was believed to have been manufactured by China.
Lai then asked Chen whether the bureau keeps tabs on people who criticize Tsai, which Chen denied.
Allowing the government to decide what is fake news endangers free speech, Lai said, adding that the National Communications Commission uses its licensing authority to harass the media.
He then said: “What is the standard for calling something fake news? Who decides?”
“That which is untrue is false,” Chen said. “The appropriate authorities make such determinations according to the only standard there is: reality.”
Later, KMT Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) asked whether the National Security Bureau monitors Facebook, which Chen denied.
“The bureau is focused on China and other foreign hostile forces, and the scope of operations is limited to reviewing publicly available information on public media,” Chen said. “We make no judgement and conduct no surveillance on Facebook.”
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
RSS