A legislative committee came to an abrupt halt yesterday when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) boycotted a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal that would allow Chinese businesses to advertise in local media.
DPP lawmakers surrounded the podium where KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), chairman of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, was standing, trying to talk him out of reviewing amendments to Article 34 of the Act Governing Relations between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
The revisions, proposed by Wu and KMT Legislator Daniel Hwang (黃義交) and endorsed by 28 other KMT lawmakers, would allow all Chinese products, labor services and other kinds of services to advertise in Taiwanese media.
Currently, Chinese advertisers must obtain permission to do so.
DPP Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (�?�) said this would deprive the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of its right to screen potential advertisers, giving that power to Beijing. Twu said it was necessary to bar Chinese advertisements.
DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) criticized the MAC for its “gutless” support of the legal revisions, saying “the new law would only benefit pro-China Chinese-language newspapers such as the China Times and the United Daily News.”
Describing the issue as “too complicated” and “too sensitive,” DPP Legislator Yu John-dow (余政道) said it was not the right time to review the bill and Hwang should withdraw his proposal. Wu, however, said Yu had no right to ask Hwang to do so.
After a bout of haggling, a consensus was reached before the meeting began that Hwang could explain the motives behind the proposal and that the meeting would be adjourned immediately after.
Wu said he regretted the decision, but he would respect the consensus.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who arrived late, was unhappy when Wu said he would arrange another time to review the bill.
Wu then told Ker, a chain smoker, to go out and have a cigarette.
DPP lawmakers responded by swarming the podium, holding placards reading “Oppose Chinese investment in local media,” “open local media to promote bandits” and “Chinese capital comes, Taiwan democracy goes.”
Arguing that the matter was a public issue, Hwang said the global trend was to provide as much information as possible to consumers so they could make sound judgments based on the information available.
“Not a single government or country can over-protect their consumers,” he said. “I have faith in our people, who I think are entitled to comprehensive information. I also call on both the ruling and opposition parties to have confidence in the democratic system.”
Regarding the DPP’s worries, Hwang said there were laws in place to keep Chinese advertisers in check. Chinese businesses were unlikely to sway local media outlets if they were impartial in their reports and those failing to meet the needs of the public would be forced out of the market, he said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
RSS