|
Ma honors Chiang Ching-kuo,
tight-lipped on rally
By Mo Yan-chih / Staff reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou, center,
pays his respects to late president Chiang Ching-kuo yesterday at Chiang’s
mausoleum in Touliao, Taoyuan County.
Photo: Chiu Yi-tung, Taipei Times
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday
visited former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) mausoleum in Touliao (頭寮),
Taoyuan County, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death, remaining
tight-lipped about the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) rally against his
administration.
The president arrived at the mausoleum at about 10am, leading top Chinese
Nationalist Party (KMT) officials to pay homage and staying a while in front of
the former president’s picture.
He shook hands with supporters on leaving the mausoleum, but did not comment
when asked about the DPP’s “Fury” rally against the government.
As protesters took to the streets to express their anger at the government in
Taipei, Ma was not scheduled to attend any other public events yesterday.
Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said Ma went over
government documents yesterday afternoon while monitoring the situation at the
rally.
KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said the party’s Culture and Communication Committee
was paying close attention to the rally and the responses to the event,
dismissing concerns about the KMT’s attempt to downplay the protest.
The Ma administration has failed to give a positive response to three DPP
demands: a Cabinet reshuffle, support of anti-media-monopoly acts and a national
affairs conference.
While dismissing the DPP’s calls for a reshuffle and a national affairs
conference, the government stressed its efforts to prevent media monopolization.
This followed a move by a consortium — including pro-China Want Want China Times
Group (旺旺中時集團) chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明) — to acquire Next Media Group’s
(壹傳媒集團) Taiwanese assets, which sparked debate about growing Chinese influence
on Taiwanese media and the concentration of media ownership in the hands of
conglomerates.
On Friday the KMT caucus backtracked on its previous support of the DPP’s
proposed amendments to the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), the Satellite
Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) and the Cable Television Act (有線電視法), arguing that a
specific law regulating media ownership is needed.
Premier Sean Chen (陳沖) said yesterday during a visit to Nantou that the Cabinet
had already declared its determination to prevent the monopolization of any
businesses, including the media industry, and will support the National
Communications Commission in drafting a specific law to address issues related
to media ownership.
“The Executive Yuan was already working hard to revive the economy and address
concerns about media monopolization before the DPP presented its demands at the
rally,” he said.
|
