The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Thursday posted on Facebook an interview AIT Chairman James Moriarty did with Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS), after the channel pulled it from its programming lineup one day after airing.
TVBS conducted the interview with Moriarty in Taiwan last week.
During the interview, Moriarty warned about external forces attempting to manipulate public opinion ahead of the nine-in-one local elections on Saturday.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Unlike most of the station’s news reports, which are aired repeatedly throughout the day and sometimes the following day, TVBS broadcast the interview only once — during the 5pm segment on Nov. 9.
The Chinese-language online Next Magazine on Friday reported that TVBS shelved the interview in a “forced disappearance,” saying that there were hidden reasons why the station decided to stop airing the interview.
TVBS slammed the report as a biased departure from the facts, saying that it was unsubstantiated reporting that disregarded journalistic ethics.
The AIT, the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties between the two nations, on Thursday posted the interview on Facebook.
The reason the interview was pulled from the lineup can only be answered by TVBS, AIT spokeswoman Amanda Mansour was quoted as saying by the Central News Agency yesterday.
According to a source familiar with Taiwan-US relations, speaking on condition of anonymity, the AIT posted the interview to emphasize Moriarty’s warning that external forces would attempt to manipulate public opinion regarding the election.
Asked about Moriarty’s warning, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) New Taipei City mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the elections are Taiwan’s business alone and embody its democratic values.
The observations by “our friend from the US are a reminder to Taiwanese that they should do more to defend these values and must not let external forces succeed in their goal” of meddling in Taiwan’s elections, he said.
DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said it is a fact that China has repeatedly meddled in the elections.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) said that voters must be vigilant and resilient against the influence of external forces.
Emphasizing the importance of economic development and quality of life, Ting added that people should vote for candidates who can best provide them with a high standard of living.
This story has been updated since it was first published to clarify that the comment about the AIT wanting to emphasize Moriarty’s warning was not made by the AIT spokeswoman.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS