Fri, Mar 09, 2007 page1

• Lawmakers want to expel reporter

  `INSULT' A correspondent of The Associated Press could lose his visa over his report which said China has called the vice president the `scum of the nation'

  • By Shih Hsiu-chuan, Ko Shu-ling, Jewel Huang and Jimmy Chuang / STAFF REPORTERS
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  A group of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday called for the government to expel Associated Press (AP) correspondent Lee Ming (李閩), who quoted Beijing's criticism of Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) in an article on Tuesday about Lu's presidential bid.

  The AP story described Lu as an "outspoken" vice president who China had called "insane" and "the scum of the nation."

  CNN posted the AP article on its Web site under the headline: "Taiwan's `scum of the nation' runs for president."

  Lu was infuriated and sent a letter of protest to CNN on Tuesday, demanding an apology or an interview and threatening to sue if necessary. She sent a similar letter of protest to the AP on Wednesday.

  "The language he used [in his story] was a terrible insult to any normal person as well as to the Taiwanese public," DPP caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) said at a press conference yesterday morning. "I will demand that Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) and Government Information Office [GIO] Director Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) resign if they don't take action to expel the reporter from the country."

  Wang said the government had sufficient reason to expel the reporter as his story posed an insult to the vice president, violated the Statute Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門條例) and could damage national security and social stability.

  In response to Wang's query, Cheng, who was also present at the press conference, said the government had not issued media accreditation to the reporter, who came to Taiwan to assist AP reporters stationed here.

  Cheng said that the reporter's visa would be revoked by the end of the day yesterday for violation of regulations for covering news.

  However, Cheng changed his statement later yesterday.

  When pressed by reporters on whether Lee's visa would be revoked, Cheng said Lee did not belong to the AP's Taipei Bureau because he was only in Taiwan to fill in for a co-worker who was on vacation.

  "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council [MAC] and the National Immigration Agency will have to decide whether to suspend his visa," he said. "But the vice president also said that Lee did not commit any crime in Taiwan so there was no need and no intention to ask him to leave."

  The GIO said foreign reporters who -- like Lee -- embark on temporary reporting assignments in Taiwan do not need any specific visa for a short stay. However, foreign reporters stationed in Taiwan for an extended period of time need to report to the GIO to have their credentials validated.

  MOFA spokesman David Wang (王建業) said yesterday afternoon that his ministry could not deal with the issue because Lee was from Hong Kong.

  MAC Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said that it was up to the National Immigration Agency to decide whether to revoke Lee's visa.

  However, NIA Deputy Director Wu Hsueh-yen (吳學燕) said yesterday afternoon that Lee, a holder of a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport, entered Taiwan with a landing visa. No decision was available at press time on whether Lee's visa would be revoked.

  Meanwhile, an apology from the AP brought a smile to Lu's face yesterday. The AP expressed regret and said it would arrange an interview for her so she could tell her side of the story.

  Lu thanked the public and local media for throwing their support behind her.

  Presidential Office spokesman David Lee (李南陽) yesterday welcomed AP's initial response.

  Lu said she was waiting for an official response from CNN as its managing director was out of the country.

  Lee Ming, who was touring Kaohsiung with a foreign press group yesterday, said he had "no comments" in response to questions from reporters.

  President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last night said he found AP and CNN's "malicious reporting" on the vice president regrettable.

  "Taiwan and the People's Republic of China are two independent sovereign nations. Taiwan is Taiwan and China is China. Don't make malicious comments about Taiwanese affairs using China or Beijing's perspective as it will only produce reports with incorrect information and serious distortions," Chen said in his speech delivered at the spring banquet held for ambassadors and representatives in Taipei.

  When approached by reporters for comment, American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young said the controversy was quite obvious.

  "That was a Chinese phrase. It was a quote from a Chinese newspaper," Young said.

  The Association of Taiwanese Journalists issued a statement last night calling on the government to refrain from "technically hampering" press freedom by expelling Lee Ming from the country.

  The government would risk tarnishing the nation's image if it insisted on doing so, the statement said.

  The association also urged AP to conduct an internal review of the incident and inform the public of its findings.

  Additional reporting by CNA
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