France struggles as riots take on a more serious tone

RUNNING BATTLES: The government was in crisis mode as suburban riots entered their seventh day, with shots fired at police for the first time

AP , AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, FRANCE

France's government faced mounting pressure yesterday as suburban unrest took on dangerous new momentum, with shots fired at police and fire crews as they battled youths who torched car dealerships, public buses and a school.

Four shots were fired at police and fire officers in four different towns, without causing any injuries, said Jean-Francois Cordet, the top government official for the troubled Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris where the week of violence has been concentrated.

Rioters set fire to 315 cars in the Paris area overnight, half of them in Seine-Saint-Denis, where nine people were injured, officials said.

The heavy presence of armed riot police did little to deter violence as youths rampaged for a seventh straight night. Acts ranging from clashes with police to torching of vehicles were reported in at least 10 Paris-region towns.

The riots have highlighted the division between France's big cities and their poor suburbs. Frustrations have been simmering in housing projects to the north and northeast of Paris, heavily populated by North African and Muslim immigrants and their French-born children who struggle with high unemployment, crime, poverty and a lack of opportunities.

In the tough northeastern suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois, gangs of youths torched a Renault car dealership and incinerated at least a dozen cars, a supermarket and a local gymnasium.

In nearby La Courneuve, two shots were fired at riot police, said Cordet. A third shot targeted firefighters in Noisy-le-Sec, and a forth was aimed at a fire crew in Saint-Denis, home to the Stade de France stadium that hosted the final of the 1998 soccer World Cup.

Bands of youths forced a team of France-2 television reporters out of their car in the suburb of Le Blanc Mesnil, then flipped the vehicle and set it on fire.

Unrest spilled over to public housing projects in the area, where police engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with youths, who would break car windows and toss petrol-bombs inside before running away.

Police in the Seine-Saint-Denis region detained 23 rioters on Wednesday night and have taken a total of 98 people into custody since the rioting started, Cordet said.

France's government was in crisis mode, with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin calling a string of emergency meetings with government officials throughout the day yesterday.

One was a working lunch with Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been accused of inflaming the crisis with his tough talk and police tactics. Sarkozy has called troublemakers "scum" and vowed to "clean out" troubled suburbs, language that some say further alienated their residents.

Minister of Social Cohesion Jean-Louis Borloo said the government had to react "firmly" but added that France must also acknowledge its failure to have dealt with anger simmering in poor suburbs for decades.

Beijing eager to start cross-strait flight negotiations

CNA , BEIJING

A Beijing official in charge of aviation affairs sent a letter to the Taipei Airlines Association (TAA) yesterday to request negotiations on matters concerning cross-strait charter passenger and cargo flights, especially the technical details involving passenger charter services during next year's Lunar New Year holiday.

The letter, addressed to TAA president Fan Chih-chiang, was written by Pu Zhaozhou, director of Taiwan affairs at the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Pu is also executive director of Beijing's Civil Aviation Association.

Pu proposed that the negotiations can be conducted according to the model of the talks held between the two sides in Macau earlier this year on the launch of special cross-strait charter services for this year's Lunar New Year holiday.

Pu pointed out that this is the second time this year that he has written to the TAA to express Beijing's desire to hold combined negotiations on the opening of charter passenger and cargo flights across the strait.

On the subject of cross-strait charter cargo flights, Pu suggested that airlines from the two sides be allowed to participate and cooperate in the operations for mutual benefit and reciprocity.

He stressed that China is fully prepared to begin the negotiations any time.

In Taipei, Fan confirmed that he had already received the letter and said he has transferred it to the Mainland Affairs Council for instruction on how to react to the invitation.

Premier Frank Hsieh announced on Aug. 3 that the government had agreed to hold simultaneous negotiations with China concerning both cargo and passenger charter flights.

Officials receive death threats over TVBS furor

ANGRY: Some people feel so strongly about the war of words between the government and a cable TV station that they have been calling members of the Cabinet

By Jimmy Chuang

STAFF REPORTER

"I once again urge the public not to make these kinds of calls, because these have seriously interfered with many innocent people."－Pasuya Yao, Government Information Office minister

Amid the ongoing furor over a controversy involving a television station, Premier Frank Hsieh has received threatening phone calls against him and his family, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said yesterday.

Making remarks to the press, DPP legislative whip Chen Chi-jun said that the information had been confirmed by the National Police Administration.

Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Pasuya Yao also complained yesterday that constant calls have interrupted the lives of his staff and family ever since Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers publicized his office and home numbers.

"I once again urge the public not to make these kinds of calls, because these have seriously interfered with many innocent people, including my staff members and my family members," Yao said, referring to threatening and abusive phone calls.

Yao made the remarks at a press conference held at the GIO, during which he played recorded clips of calls for the press.

"Tell Yao ... if he dares to shut down TVBS, he had better watch his back," an anonymous man shouted on the phone.

"Tell Mr. Minister that it is ridiculous for the government to hammer a TV station like that," another caller said on the phone.

Some of the clips contained only strings of non-stop profanities.

Aside from the first clip telling Yao to "watch his back," none of the other clips played contained threats against Yao's life.

However, a senior staff member at the GIO who wished to remain anonymous told the Taipei Times that several threatening calls had been made, but that the clips were not made public because the police are investigating them.

"I really do not know why lawmakers would do this [make public my numbers]. But what they did has seriously bothered me, my co-workers and my family members," Yao said. "We will not change our policies because of these calls. I also sincerely hope that politics can be removed from this."

KMT legislators Hung Hsiu-chu and Kuo Su-chun made Yao's numbers public on Monday and encouraged people to call him to complain about the GIO's investigation of TVBS' foreign shareholding status, and warning that the government could suspend TVBS' operating license.

"In addition to bothering my co-workers, these callers bombard my home phone as well. That scares my family members," Yao said.

Yao said he has filed a request with the National Police Agency for bodyguards. In the meantime, his local police have increased security measures for Yao, his family and his residence.

Asked how Hsieh had responded when told about the harassment, Yao said, "He only told me to be careful."

Regarding the TVBS issue, Yao said that today will be the deadline for the station to explain its foreign shareholding status, and he will be expecting a clear explanation. He said he also learned from a magazine that TVBS chairman Norman Leung, who is also the former chairman of the Hong Kong government's Broadcasting Authority, is now in Taiwan.

"If that is the case, I would be more than happy to meet him in person here at the GIO and hear his explanation," Yao said. "However, if [today's] report is clear enough, it will not be necessary to meet Leung."

Meanwhile, Connie Lin, director of the Broadcasting Development Fund, said she hoped that the TVBS problem would be resolved as soon as possible.

TVBS is alleged to be in violation of a law that stipulates that foreign holdings in a station or newspaper cannot exceed 50 percent.

Lin proposed that TVBS should either stop being an "in-country" channel or alter its shareholding structure.

TVBS could legally register as a channel based outside of Taiwan, and there was no reason to be afraid of doing so, she said.

However, some critics have questioned how the situation came about in the first place.