The Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) yesterday urged the Executive Yuan to withdraw the nominations for National Communications Commission (NCC) chairperson, vice chairperson and two commissioners, saying none of the four nominees was qualified.
In August, the Executive Yuan nominated National Dong Hwa University professor Howard Shyr (石世豪), National Chiao Tung University professor Yu Hsiao-cheng (虞孝成), National Tsing Hua University professor Peng Shin-yi (彭心儀) and Integral Investment Holdings Group general manager Chen Yuan-ling (陳元玲) to the watchdog agency.
Shyr was nominated to be chairperson and Yu vice chairperson. Their qualifications came under intense questioning at Wednesday’s meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, as lawmakers raised issues ranging from fabrication of work experience and dual citizenship to violations of -academic ethics.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The committee had been scheduled to hold another review session yesterday, but DPP lawmakers occupied the platform where the committee chairman was seated and stopped the session from proceeding.
DPP lawmakers accused Shyr of moving back and forth between the pan-green and pan-blue camps.
Yu was accused of violating the Nationality Act (國籍法) because he held both Republic of China and US citizenship when he served as the chair of the Graduate Institute of Management of Technology at National Chiao Tung University. Yu said he would only renounce his US citizenship after his nomination is approved.
DPP lawmakers accused Chen of making up some of her work experience. Her background in managing a private equity fund as well as unfamiliarity with communications laws were also cited as problematic, with the lawmakers urging her to bow out gracefully.
Lawmakers also found fault with Peng, who reportedly submitted similar reports to multiple institutions for funding.
The boycott of the committee meeting ended after the DPP and KMT caucuses reached an agreement to continue the review on Wednesday.
Chen said after the meeting that she agreed to be nominated because she wants media in Taiwan to improve. She said her experience in managing foreign television stations could complement those of other NCC commissioners who are academics, while her work at a venture capital firm could help in regulating overseas investors who are planning to invest in local media.
Yu said he was only telling the truth when he said he would give up his US citizenship after his nomination was approved.
He said he would apologize if anybody was bothered by his statement.
Peng denied the accusation that she had violated academic ethics.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and