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Closure of seven cable stations was done by the law, says Frank Hsieh

Taiwanese Premier Frank Hsieh Chang-ting  yesterday came to his government's defence over a  decision to shut seven cable TV channels, including a news channel.

'Everything goes by the law,' Mr Hsieh said, referring to the decision by a 12-member panel of the Government Information Office (GIO) not to renew  operating licences for the seven channels, including the ETToday-S  news channel, effective today.

Apart from the operators, the opposition camp and most newspapers also joined  the criticism.  They said it should not have used the GIO, the regulator of local media, to shut media outlets acting as government watchdogs.

Mr Hsieh, however, claimed the GIO had already exercised self-restraint.  'If the GIO only considered public opinion, it would have withdrawn even more licences.'

The GIO panel decided on Sunday  not to renew the licences of the seven channels, including news, movie and finance channels. Mr Hsieh cited financial problems, irresponsible journalism and the  broadcast of soft porn as reasons behind the decision.

One of the channels, ETToday-S owned by the ETToday multimedia group, protested immediately, saying 300 employees would be affected.

It lashed out at the government for making the decision at such short notice.

In an  advertisement published  on the front pages of most newspapers, ETToday-S said it had sent the necessary papers for its licence renewal to the GIO in March, but  the review was carried out only three days before  the licence expired.

But the group asked its staff to keep quiet while it  sought legal action against the GIO in an attempt to get back on air. It also demanded that the GIO give it three months to  notice to notify staff and wind down.

But GIO director Yao Chih-wen  said  the channel would not be given  three more months.

Mr Yao  defended the GIO decision to shut the seven channels, saying they  were all  at the top of public complaints lists.

He  dismissed speculation that the decision to shut ETToday-S was taken because it appeared to report only about Democratic Progressive Party chairman Su Tseng-chang  rather than Mr Hsieh. Both are possible candidates for the 2008 presidential election.

Meanwhile, opposition politicians grasped the opportunity to hit out at the government for silencing dissent.

'Using the renewal of licence as an excuse, the Chen Shui-bian  government tries to usurp its power by laying its hands on the local media, hoping to control it,' said Kuomintang spokesman Chang Jung-kung.

He said the Chen  administration claimed it was 100 per cent in favour of  freedom of the press, but it was guilty of perpetrating a 'hoodlum act' that violated the spirit and principle of democracy.



Taiwan's premier defends TV shutdowns