Kaohsiung prosecutors yesterday raided four pirate radio stations and summoned a number of their hosts for questioning over reports that listeners had threatened to assassinate Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
According to a CNA report late last night, three program hosts were taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Telecommunications Law (電信法).
Cable news channels such as SETV and CTI aired live broadcasts at around 3pm yesterday showing prosecutors raiding the stations and confiscating their equipment.
The four stations were reportedly all pro-Taiwan independence.
Reports said that last week callers to the stations had encouraged others to end Ma's life.
Dai Jung-sheng (
He that said he had never encouraged his listeners to "assassinate Ma."
"I admit that some callers mentioned their plans to [assassinate Ma]. But I tried to stop them each time I heard such comments," Dai said.
"I think I have done my job as a radio host," he said.
Dai said he had scanned for the frequencies of other "underground stations" over the past few days and discovered that some of these stations were "missing" from the air.
"I don't know. I just couldn't hear anything from them. They have just disappeared," he said.
Dai said he welcomed different political voices on his program but he also complained about the prosecutors confiscating his station's equipment.
"We never encourage our listeners to harm or attack any specific person. People sometimes say stupid things when they are angry. But, we always try to ensure they only talk about it instead of carrying out their plans," Dai said. "That is never what we want."
‘UPHOLDING PEACE’: Taiwan’s foreign minister thanked the US Congress for using a ‘creative and effective way’ to deter Chinese military aggression toward the nation The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, aimed at deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by threatening to publish information about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials’ “illicit” financial assets if Beijing were to attack. The act would also “restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials,” the text of the legislation says. The bill was introduced in January last year by US representatives French Hill and Brad Sherman. After remarks from several members, it passed unanimously. “If China chooses to attack the free people of Taiwan, [the bill] requires the Treasury secretary to publish the illicit
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
A senior US military official yesterday warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing’s “dangerous” moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders. Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of Taiwan and China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions, but they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control. Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and Wu Yanan (吳亞男), head of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, talked via videoconference. Paparo “underscored the importance
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said