Mourning for Taiwan’s Democracy and Human Rights

My excessively enthusiastic and immature conjectures that the democracy of Taiwan has been mature enough to withstand the power concentrated on KMT are proved totally incorrect. President Ma has been in office only for less than 180 days.  The conducts of his party have raised worldwide concerns about Taiwan’s media freedom and the justice system:October 09, 2008

IFJ Condemns Government Interference in Taiwan Media

• Update: On October 11 the Government Information Office issued a statement to the IFJ in response to this media release. The statement can be read here.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed fears for the independence of Taiwan’s media after escalating instances of government interference in state-owned media.

The IFJ has learned that the Government Information Office (GIO) demanded on September 26 that the state-owned Central News Agency (CNA) alter reports on the contaminated milk powder scandal which has engulfed China.

GIO also demanded that CNA withdraw a report which criticised President Ma Ying-Jeou, who took office on May 20 after the Kuomintang (Nationalist) party won elections in March.

GIO was also implicated recently in a scandal after the chairman of Radio Taiwan International (RTI), Taiwan’s state-owned broadcaster, claimed that the Government had asked RTI not to broadcast reports that were too critical of China.

RTI chairman Cheng Yu and several independent board directors of RTI resigned on September 30 in protest after news reports suggested that GIO and the new Kuomintang government had put pressure on RTI to change its editorial focus. GIO denied the reports.

An anonymous source told the IFJ that Taiwan’s Government was angered by RTI’s frequent criticism of President Ma Ying-Jeou. RTI has 13 language services which broadcast worldwide, including into mainland China.

In another recent development, the Government appointed Lo Chih-Chiang, a former spokesperson for President Ma Ying-Jeou’s campaign, to the position of Deputy President of CNA in early October. The Kuomintang party also nominated four government legislators to new positions on the Board of Supervisors for Taiwan’s Public Television Service.

“Taiwan’s new Government is exhibiting worrying reflexes towards attempting to control the media,” IFJ Asia-Pacific said.

“These latest appointments and directives suggest the Government fails to understand the critical importance of editorial independence in a democratic society.”

The IFJ condemns Taiwan’s apparent interference in state-owned media and urges government authorities to refrain from further acts that could jeopardise editorial independence.

For more information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 in 122 countries worldwide 

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November 4, 2008

JOINT STATEMENT 

US, European and Australian scholars and writers express concern about prosecutions in Taiwan

The undersigned, scholars and writers from the US, Europe and Australia wish to express their deep concern about the recent series of detentions in Taiwan of present and former DPP government officials.  To date there have been at least seven such cases (See list below).

It is obvious that there have been cases of corruption in Taiwan, but these have occurred in both political camps.  The political neutrality of the judicial system is an essential element in a democracy.  It is also essential that any accused are considered innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.

We also believe that the procedures followed by the prosecutor’s offices are severely flawed: while one or two of the accused have been formally charged, the majority is being held incommunicado without being charged.  This is a severe contravention of the writ of habeas corpus and a basic violation of due process, justice and the rule of law.

In the meantime, the prosecutor’s offices evidently leak detrimental information to the press.  This kind of “trial by press” is a violation of the basic standards of judicial procedures.  It also gives the distinct impression that the Kuomintang authorities are using the judicial system to get even with members of the former DPP government.  In addition, the people who are being held incommunicado are of course unable to defend themselves against the misreporting and the leaks in the news media.

We do firmly believe that any alleged wrongdoings must be dealt with in a fair and open manner in an impartial court.  Justice through the rule of law is essential to Taiwan’s efforts to consolidate democracy and protect fundamental human rights.

We do not want to see Taiwan’s hard-earned democracy jeopardized in this manner.  Taiwan can justifiably be proud of its transition to democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  It would be sad for Taiwan and detrimental to its international image if the progress which was made during the past 20 years would be erased.  Taiwan needs to move forward, not backwards to the unfair and unjust procedures as practiced during the dark days of Martial Law (1947-87).

Signed:

Nat Bellocchi, former Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan
Julian Baum, former Taiwan Bureau Chief, Far Eastern Economic Review

Coen Blaauw, Formosan Association for Public Affairs, Washington DC
David Prager Branner,  Director at Large (East Asia), American Oriental Society
Gordon G. Chang, author, “The Coming Collapse of China.”
June Teufel Dreyer, Professor of Political Science, University of Miami, Florida
Edward Friedman, Professor of Political Science and East Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Bruce Jacobs, Professor of Asian Languages and Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Richard C. Kagan, Professor Emeritus of History, Hamline University, St. Paul Minnesota
Jerome F. Keating, Associate Professor, National Taipei University (Ret.).  Author, “Island in the Stream, a quick case study of Taiwan’s complex history” and other works on Taiwan
Daniel Lynch, Associate Professor, School of International Relations, University of Southern California
Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania
Donald Rodgers, Associate Professor of Political Science, Austin College, Texas
Terence Russell, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Manitoba
Scott Simon, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Ottawa
John J. Tkacik Jr., Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation, Washington DC

Gerrit van der Wees, Editor Taiwan Communiqué, Washington DC

Vincent Wei-cheng Wang, Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond, Virginia
Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations, University of Pennsylvania
Stephen Yates, President of DC Asia Advisory and former Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs

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Specific cases of concern:

– The arrest and detention on October 15th of former Interior minister Yu Cheng-hsien;
– The arrest and detention on October 27th of former Hsinchu Science Park Director and Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection Dr. James Lee;
– The arrest and detention on October 29th of DPP Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen;
– The indictment on October 30th of DPP Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu;
– The arrest and detention on October 31st of former National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general and Deputy Prime Minister Chiou I-jen;
– The questioning of former Foreign Minister Dr. Mark Chen on November 3rd and insinuations in the press that he might be charged and arrested.
– The arrest and detention on November 4th of DPP Yunlin County Magistrate Ms. Su Chih-fen.

 

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November 05, 2008

IFJ Condemns Police Attack on Documentary Maker in Taiwan

The International Federation of Journalists condemns a violent attack on an independent documentary film maker by police in Taipei yesterday.

According to the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ), an IFJ affiliate, documentary film maker Chen Yu-ching was set upon by police after filming protests on November 4 at the Grand Hotel, Taipei, over the visit of a mainland China government envoy.

A group of police officers reportedly forced her into a police vehicle and detained her for over an hour at Yuanshan Precinct police station, after she refused to produce her identification.

The ATJ reports that Chen sustained heavy bruising in several places and was later examined in hospital to rule out serious injury.

The visit of the envoy from mainland China to meet with negotiators from Taiwan’s government has sparked protests at the Grand Hotel and elsewhere in Taipei, prompting a heavy police presence.

Chen was reportedly visiting a friend in the vicinity when she saw the protesters and began filming. Chen said that many others were also taking photographs and filming.

“This violent attack raises grave concerns for independent reporting in Taiwan,” said IFJ Asia-Pacific.

“There can be no excuse for this kind of heavy-handed interference in reporting.”

The IFJ joins the ATJ in condemning the police attack on Chen and demands an immediate investigation into this interference in Taiwan’s media.
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries