GIO minister says Taiwan guarantees freedom of the press, thanks press freedom group for assistance

Reporters Without Borders issued its 2007 annual press freedom survey on February 1st. In the report on Taiwan, the organization noted that journalists were manhandled during a demonstration. In addition, a journalist from the United Daily News was fined for refusing to reveal his sources in a financial scandal. In response to these issues, Minister Cheng Wen-tsang of the Government Information Office said these incidents were "isolated examples" and that the Taiwanese media enjoys freedom of the press. Cheng added that journalists in Taiwan have the benefit of guarantees of personal safety and freedom of reporting.

The latest report released by Reporters Without Borders compiled the state of freedom of the media, freedom of news on the Internet and any impingement on the rights of reporters in 98 countries throughout the world during 2006. Cheng, responding to the attack on journalists in Taiwan during their reporting of a demonstration, said that the Taiwanese media enjoy a high degree of freedom in the right to report. He said the government regrets and condemns the incident, and that judicial agencies are handling the situation according to the law. Cheng said the government fully supports the personal safety of journalists in the line of work.

In response to the case in which a journalist was fined for refusing to reveal his sources, Cheng said that this was the first example of such a fine levied by the courts in the judicial history of Taiwan, and the incident was deemed a legal matter. Cheng explained the background of the case in detail when he met with the Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard, who was recently in Taiwan to accept the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award on behalf of his organization. Cheng said that he stressed to Mr. Menard that Taiwan is a county that values freedom of the press and that the case in question was a legal judgment made by judicial agencies. He said the government respects the decision of the judiciary. Secretary-General Menard had a "better understanding of the case" after Cheng's detailed explanation of the matter.

When Menard paid a visit to Cheng, he also said that his organization cannot accept the obstacles put up by China to prevent Taiwan journalists from covering the World Health Assembly. He said his organization has done its utmost to secure the rights of Taiwanese journalists. Cheng expressed his gratitude to the organization for its help in this respect. Cheng added that Taiwan is willing to serve as a beacon in pressing for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in China. As a result, he said that the government places great emphasis on the freedom of the press scores given to Taiwan by Reporters Without Borders and other international human rights and non-government organizations. Cheng said the critiques of Taiwan by these organizations help to point out any weaknesses Taiwan faces in this regard, helping to highlight areas in which Taiwan needs to improve.