Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers yesterday vowed to work together to oppose the nominees for new National Communications Commission (NCC) members after a media tycoon was said to have intervened in the nominating process.
Chinese-language media reported that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government originally tapped Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) division director Liu Po-li (劉柏立) to chair the nation’s broadcast media and telecoms regulator. The nomination was allegedly canceled because of the intervention of a Taiwanese media tycoon, although the media reports did not identify who that person was.
“Despite extensive media coverage on the intervention from the media tycoon, the Presidential Office, Executive Yuan and the DPP have yet to retort, deny or comment on any of the allegations,” KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said. “Is the DPP tacitly confirming these allegations, and letting speculations run wild in the news media while testing the public reaction and controlling the narrative on this matter?”
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
Hung said the new NCC commissioners should be nominated by premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) after he takes office on May 20, rather than by Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), with the nominees being approved by the Legislative Yuan later.
Liu was said to replace NCC Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥), whose term expires in July.
Meanwhile, National Taiwan Normal University Graduate Institute of Mass Communication professor Chen Ping-hung (陳炳宏), Shih Hsin University communications management assistant professor Lo Huei-wen (羅慧雯) and NCC Department of Platform and Business director Chan I-Lien (詹懿廉) were reported to be nominated to replace three outgoing NCC commissioners: NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗), and NCC commissioners Lin Li-yun (林麗雲) and Wang Wei-ching (王維菁), whose terms also expire in July.
The nominees are known for their expertise in telecommunications and media studies, rather than their political footprint.
KMT caucus deputy secretary Wang Hong-wei (王鴻薇) said the media tycoon was said to have influenced the nominations of new NCC commissioners through former DPP legislator Pan Meng-an (潘孟安), who has been designated the new Presidential Office secretary-general.
Canceling Liu’s nomination would be the biggest scandal in the communications sector, Wang said.
“Now everybody knows that the NCC is not only controlled by the DPP, but is also controlled by a powerful media group. The new government should explain itself once it takes office,” Wang said.
TPP Legislator Lin Kuo-cheng (林國成) said his caucus would work with the KMT caucus in reviewing the nominations of new NCC commissioners.
“The DPP still thinks that it can do whatever it wants when it comes to the nominations of new NCC commissioners. As an opposition party, we will work with the KMT for the sake of the truth and the people,” he said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
Central and southern Taiwan are to see increasingly heavy rainfall from last night through Friday due to the effects of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said Tropical Storm Co-May had weakened into a low-pressure system on Saturday, but that it strengthened again into a tropical depression (TD 11) near the seas around Japan's Ryukyu Islands due to favorable environmental conditions. The tropical depression is expected to persist for two to three days, moving west-northwest by this afternoon and reaching China's Zhejiang through the East China Sea tomorrow,
RSS