Being watched over by Chinese security personnel is an “honor” for Taiwanese musicians performing in China, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said yesterday.
She said any picture could be subject to multiple interpretations after New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) showed a photograph purporting to show ranks of Chinese military police standing by at a concert of a Taiwanese musician.
Lim showed the picture during a question-and-answer session of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee.
“The military police are mainly concerned about the possibility of a riot, because everyone [in the audience] is so high,” Ko said.
She asked Minister of Culture Hung Meng-chi (洪孟啟) if he would dare discourage Taiwanese musicians from performing in China.
“This is an extremely great honor for a singer,” Ko said.
Lim — who is the lead singer of metal band Chthonic, which has been banned from performing in China because of its pro-Taiwanese independence stance — said the picture illustrates the failure of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to protect the rights of Taiwanese musicians performing in China.
“In eight years, we have never made any concrete demands that the freedom of our singers to perform be protected,” Lim said.
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