Film directors and culture industry figures joined with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday to condemn proposed motions by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to slash the budget of the Ministry of Culture, Public Television Service (PTS) and other government bodies.
Prominent film directors Chen Shih-chieh (陳世杰) and Wang Shau-di (王小棣) were among the figures who delivered remarks at a news conference, along with DPP legislators Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶), Jean Kuo (郭昱晴), Fan Yun (范雲), Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) and Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜).
The speakers said they would defend Taiwan’s culture and entertainment industries, and fight against political interference by the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Wu denounced KMT Legislator Jessica Chen (陳玉珍), who a day earlier had sponsored motions to slash NT$5 billion (US$151.86 million) from the government’s budget for the culture and entertainment industries, including cutting PTS’s entire budget of NT$2.309 billion.
Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), choreographer and founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater, Golden Horse award-winning documentary filmmaker Yang Li-chou (楊力州), film directors Chen Yu-hsun (陳玉勳) and Yang Ya-che (楊雅喆), and other leading cultural figures announced a nationwide petition to protest the planned cuts.
A second petition was initiated by professionals and academics affiliated with Taiwan’s media and culture industries, led by Lee Chin-chuan (李金銓), a professor at the National Chengchi University.
The petition said that KMT legislators would be abusing their power if they slashed the budget of the Ministry of Culture and other institutions.
“PTS exists for the benefit of the public and to serve all of our citizens. It must not be compromised by political and commercial considerations,” it said.
Following the backlash against the proposal earlier this week to slash the entirety of the PTS’ budget, KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) yesterday said that the lawmakers have agreed to reduce this year’s budget for the PTS by just 1 percent
Wang said that the proposal in question was only put forward by Jessica Chen, and that other KMT legislators, including herself, Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) and Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲), had submitted their own proposals.
Following negotiations with the Education and Culture Committee yesterday, lawmakers decided on a cut of NT$23 million, or 1 percent, Wang said.
Additional reporting by CNA
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
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
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
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