Taiwan center in US denies charges of censoring speech在美國的台灣中心否認封殺言論的指控 @ 愛薇塔樂學英文

Taiwan center in US denies charges of censoring speech在美國的台灣中心否認封殺言論的指控

CNA
August 18, 2014, 12:02 am TWN

WASHINGTON D.C. -- A unit of Taiwan's representative office in the United States has dismissed accusations that it was trying to prevent a key figure in a student-led movement from speaking in the U.S. at its facility.

Huang Kuo-chang, a researcher at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top research institution, applied to give a speech at the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C. on the “predicament and prospects facing Taiwan's democracy” on Aug. 23.

After receiving the application, the center consulted the opinion of 63 Taiwanese expatriates on whether the application should be accepted, sparking accusations by Huang that the center was engaged in a form of ideological censorship.

“Has Taiwan's representative office in the U.S. subjected speakers to an ideological review in its past decisions to allow them to speak,” Huang asked.

The center responded that it consulted overseas Taiwanese about Huang's application because the organizations sponsoring his visit sent out invitations for the speech before approval was received.

It said it was trying to be impartial in its decision and accused the applicant of coercing it into approving the request by sending out invitations first.

Huang was one of the leaders of the student movement that occupied Taiwan's Legislature in mid-March to protest a trade-in-services agreement Taiwan signed with China in June 2013.

The pact, one of President Ma Ying-jeou's main initiatives to liberalize Taiwan's economy, has yet to be ratified by the Legislative Yuan, and the occupation has led to measures that will only delay further consideration of the agreement.

Critics argue that the pact would give China greater control of Taiwan's economy and hurt the job prospects of Taiwanese employed in the service sector.

The Taiwanese American Senior Society (TASS), one of the organizations that filed the application on Huang's behalf, said it arranges an event at the venue every month and was not trying to pressure the center into approving Huang's appearance.

It said it simply wanted a formal written reply on whether the speech could take place or not.

Overseas Taiwanese in the U.S. capital are divided on the issue, with some worrying about possible protests against Huang's speech and “chaos” at the center.

Others suggested the center should approve Huang's application, saying Huang is not a political figure and that his speech was for academic purposes.

在美國的台灣中心否認封殺言論的指控

中央社
2014年8月18日，上午12時02分TWN

華盛頓特區 - 台灣在美國代表處的單位已駁回指控，它正在試圖阻止在以學生為主導的運動的重要人物，從在其工廠在美國講。

黃適昌研究員中央研究院，台灣頂尖的研究機構，適用於演講，在台北經濟文化代表處在華盛頓特區的文化中心就“的困境，面對台灣的民主前景”8月23日。

收到申請後，中心諮詢的63台商認為應用程序是否應該接受，引發黃指責，該中心是從事思想審查的一種形式。

“有台灣，在美國受的揚聲器在其過去的決定的思想審查代表處，讓他們說話，”黃問。

該中心回應說，諮詢台僑對黃的申請，因為他的贊助訪問的組織發出了邀請函的演講獲得批准之前。

它說，它正試圖公正的決定，並指責強迫它變成審批通過先發送邀請請求的申請。

黃是在被佔領的台灣立法院在三月中旬，抗議貿易功能於服務協議台灣與中國簽訂2013年6月的學生運動的領導者之一。

該協議，總統馬英九的開放台灣經濟的主要舉措之一，目前尚未經立法院批准，並佔領導致了措施只會進一步推遲審議該協議。

批評者認為，該協議將給予中國更大的控制台灣經濟，傷害台灣在服務業就業的就業前景。