Two Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they suspect the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of monitoring the Internet under the guise of fighting misinformation, while actually trying to frame public discussion to its own benefit.
For example, a National Chengchi University professor, identified only by the initial of their surname, “L,” has said on Facebook that a former classmate’s mother was questioned by police after sharing an online post questioning the authenticity of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) doctoral dissertation, KMT Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The former classmate and her mother would be willing to talk about the experience in person, he added.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
A National Taiwan University (NTU) professor, identified only by the initial of their surname, “C,” has also said that a friend was questioned by police on orders from the Investigation Bureau “for discussing public policy on the Internet,” Chen said.
Former NTU professor Dennis Peng (彭文正), Chung Chou University of Science and Technology professor Ou Chung-ching (歐崇敬) and Hwan C. Lin (林環牆), a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Belk College of Business, “discuss [Tsai’s] dissertation every day,” Chen said, asking why they had not faced similar treatment.
Chen was referring to a controversy over Tsai’s doctoral dissertation. Tsai says she has a doctorate in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, but a number of academics, including Peng, Lin and NTU professor emeritus Ho De-fen (賀德芬), have accused Tsai of having forged her diploma and questioned the legitimacy of her doctoral dissertation.
Tsai has filed a defamation lawsuit against Ho, Lin and Peng over the matter.
KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) at the news conference questioned whether police were trying to cause a “chilling effect” to make people afraid of expressing their opinions online.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
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
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS