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★  <Apple Daily>, 11-25-2018,  KMT's "Secret Police" sayings seriously damaged the image of ruling party eventually being handed a major defeat in local elections. (New York Times, 11-23-2018: Taiwan's ruling party was handed a major defeat in local elections)

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★ <United Daily (聯合報)> 11-2-2018, headline news
National Security Bureau confirmed their investigations of Facebook's and other's communities on the net, for monitoring, controlling and collecting "controversial information" including those "influence national security",  "blacken ("詆譭", a term of Martial Law period / UDN, 11-3-2018) president", "disrupt social stability", "distort policy" and "disturb national mechanism", "fight governmental prestige", "influence public mind and morale";  UDN 11-3-2018: all internet platform service providers in Taiwan were requested to hand in all users' personal information.  UDN critiques pointed out  "Big Brother is watching you" almost for sure lead to "Chilling Effect".   ps: Intel. sys. suspectedly controls free expression of some websites not related to China.

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★ <Apple Daily (蘋果日報)> 11-7-2018 editorial opinion:   by whatever name ( "secret police" or "national security bureau") it is called, what "it" did secretly were always more than what it admitted to the public ( 安全部門無論當時名稱是東廠、警總、或國安部門,「"他們"暗中做的 永遠超過公開承認的」)

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★ <United Daily (聯合報)> 11-3-2018, editorial and Focus edition

　

	pic. left: KMT legislator : all internet platform service providers in Taiwan were invited by the government and requested to hand in all users' personal information/data.  　 Taiwan's intelligence "National Security Bureau" has been doing overall monitors on all Taiwanese. 　 The head of NSB expressed that investigations and monitoring will be used to those criticizing and blackening Taiwan president.   KMT press conference criticized NSB was infringing Taiwanese rights and interests.  Where is freedom of expression ? 　 　 UDN 11-3-2018 headline news : Top target media communities that  Taiwan's FBI has been monitoring are  (1) Facebook ,  (2) Youtube  (3) LINE
	pic. left: Taiwan president Tsai I. W. clarified that democratic Taiwan would no way go back to Martial Law Period , my Facebook is a best example, where is filled with encouragements, critiques, and free discussions concerning public issues.....
	pic. left: The sites-group was ranked No.1 on Google Taiwan by "Facebook free expression", 11-24-2018

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★  breaking news

damaged web-pages of the sites	dirty attacks !  free speech is worse ever in the past 20 years !   prime suspects are ... ?    11-22-'18
Taiwan justice  (e.g., page1, page2, etc).	New form attacks happened at 11-20-2018 ... each char. being typing in took a long time (seconds, even 10+ minutes, or forever) to be shown on the screen while updating my web-pages concerning Taiwan judicial systems and prosecutors...  attacks last ...
political oppression, persecutions ( Eng,  Chn. )	attacks happened again at 8-10-2018, 8-11-2018 (about 4:20pm), who can't afford freedom of speech??  a mean and evil group !!  hackers attacked more often since this page was created, twice in recent 2 weeks or so (9-28-2018)

backup sites: http://intlhumanrights.com/TW_judiciary.htm   http://intlhumanrights.com/TW_prosecutors.htm   http://intlhumanrights.com/TW_prosecutor.htm , if needed, 11-22-2018

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★ The US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices , released at 4-20-2018
     ●  concern about the impact of the concentration of media ownership on freedom of the press, particularly among companies with PRC investment.

      ●  business leaders in Taiwan raised concerns that journalists whose reports were perceived as hurting the interests of businesses could face retaliation in the form of lawsuits and other threats.

      ●  Censorship or Content Restrictions: Local academics and media activists alleged that self-censorship continued since some media presented news stories slanted in favor of the PRC due to political considerations and the influence of local businesses with close ties to the PRC.  PRC authorities reinforced such pressure by using access denial to punish Taiwan media outlets whose coverage they deem to be insufficiently consistent with PRC policies...

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★  Apple Daily, opinion,  7-12-2018 "The most intolerable page of the relationship of Taiwanese media and politics"  

         Egg on media face !
        The relationship of Taiwanese media and politics has been tangled and complicated for a long time ... the case (ctn boss) had proved the mutualism between KMT and some media ......    some media boss became DPP factional politics media, such a disorder phenomenon ...

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★ The China Times,  opinion, 6-19-2018

        Taiwanese media should not be "hit-men" for bad political struggles between KMT (pan-blue) and DDP (pan-green) ...
        媒體不應該當藍綠惡鬥的打手   (http://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20180619000632-260109)

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★ The China Times, scholar opinion, 6-13-2018

        Many Taiwanese government dept. leaders often provided incorrect/wrong news, many legislators often spoke carelessly, they don't need to take any responsibility for that because today's political climate is not good, media lost its power of control and oversight ... / professor Lai (賴祥蔚)  

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★ The US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices , released at 3-3-2017
      The report also laid out concerns over Taiwanese media self-censorship with regard to China...

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★ Paris-based <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, Reporters without Borders), 4-27-2017       ●Taiwan's press freedom at 45th place ;  Taiwan’s situation as “media freedom on hold,” stating that “the main threat to media freedom comes from China, which has been exerting growing economic and political pressure on the Taiwanese media.”       ● Local government officials are also directly interfering in the editorial policies of state-owned media       ● RSF opened their first Asia bureau headquarters in Taipei in 2017.     ●  Top rankings :  19 Australia  18 portugal  17 Slovakia  16 Germany  15 Luxemburg  14 Ireland  13 New Zealand  12  Estonia  11 Austria 10 Iceland  9 Belgium 8 Jamaica  7  Swiss  6  Costa Rica  5 Nederland  4  Denmark  3  Finland   2 Sweden  1  Norway ◆

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breaking news

At 2-22-2018, the dark power (who is prime suspect ?? Taiwan ?) blocked my uploading brief file (in Chinese version) about UK's IISS study ― China's advanced military systems are challenging the global predominance of the United States and its allies ... to  http://courageworld.ch/TaiwanROC.htm and http://ProtectHumanRights.net/TaiwanROC.htm ; however, uploading those info. in English version is fine.  There're many similar and evil things happened, but no evidence to prove who the darkness is.  Nov. 18, 2017  The China Times : Taiwan president gave tacit (secretly) permission to Facebook (Taiwan) to restrict or block certain contents  ... brief http://opinion.chinatimes.com/20171118000516-262114;  Taiwan government did not deny or respond this.   Pls. note  that uploading got similar problems as above.   ◆

★ Apple Daily, The China Times, United Daily News, The Liberty Times, Hong Kong ifeng (香港鳳凰網 ) , Hong Kong CRNTT  (中評社), Sina China, 7-27-2017, 7-28-2017   brief, details Facebook in Taiwan

Politicians and online personalities said they had been denied access to their Facebook accounts after writing criticisms of  Pan-Green coalition, the ruling political party DPP.   The leader of Chinese Nationalist Party think tank stated that the freedom of speech on Facebook Taiwan has retreated 50 years, and urged FB's Taiwanese users getting together to accuse Facebook, to tell the whole world about this deformed and illegal phenomenon -  free-expression terror on Facebook.   This issue has already been included in Wikipedia references.   Taiwanese government denied having sent political requests to Facebook.   Facebook Hong Kong & Taiwan office officially denied that they took sides or favored one of 2 major political parties or suppressed Taiwanese freedom of expression.

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★The US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices , released at 4-13-2016

     ◆ The Association of Taiwan Journalists condemned the journalists’ arrests, saying they infringed on freedom of the press, violated the journalists’ human rights, and were meant to deter media coverage of protests. /  three journalists were arrested while covering a student protest against proposed changes to curriculum guidelines for high school textbooks (see section 2.b.). The journalists were arrested for allegedly trespassing when they entered the Ministry of Education without a permit and joined a group of protesters who climbed over a fence and broke into Minister Wu Se-hwa’s office. The journalists, who denied the accusation, were released without charge the next day. afterward, the Ministry of Education dropped its complaint against the journalists.

     ◆  Censorship or Content Restrictions: Local academics and media activists alleged that self-censorship continued as some media chose to present news stories in favor of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) due to political considerations and the influence of local businesses with close ties to the PRC.

     ◆ concern about the impact of the increasing concentration of media ownership on freedom of the press.
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★ Paris-based <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, Reporters without Borders), 4-21-2016

Taiwan was ranked No. 51 (score 24.37 - worse than 24.83 on 2015's report) according to World Press Freedom Index 2016 released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).   The main threat to media freedom comes from China, which has been exerting growing economic and political pressure on the Taiwanese media. The editorial line of some privately-owned media has changed radically and it is no longer rare to find media outlets taking a line similar to the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda. Journalistic independence is also threatened by Taiwanese officials who interfere directly in the editorial policies of the state-owned media.
Top 5 : 1. Finland  8.59   2. Holland  8.76   3. Norway 8.79   4. Denmark   5. NZ ,  USA is No.41 (Freedom ends where national security begins)  out of 180 countries,   Chn No.176  (Great Firewall and systematic imprisonment ) score 80.96 which is  -7.41 worse than 2015.

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★<Freedom House>, USA  ( a Washington-based think tank ),  4-27-2016

/ASIA-PACIFIC  Regional Rankings & Scores， Taiwan's Global Rank  is No. 46 (No 44-46 same score),   No.7 in Asia Pacific， press freedom score is 26,  legal environment(0-30)scores 9,  political environment9(0-40),  economic environment 8(0-30)。Top-score countries are Norway(No.1), Belgium,  Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Andorra, Luxembourg, Switzerland , Liechtenstein, Iceland;  besides,  Canada no. 22,  US 30,   Germany 25,  UK 41,  NZ 26, Australia 33,  Japan 45.

Taiwan's freedom (Feb. 7, 2017) aggregate score 91(100: Most Free), same score as No.37~41countries Bahamas, Costa Rica, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, St Vincent & Grenadines, Taiwan is at position 42 in the table. 

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★ The China Times, chief editorial ,  2-4-2017

Taiwan media's  major issues today are no longer media independency, but narrowly partisan politics and conflicts each other, too over populism without guidelines and directions, Ideology being stirred up to oppose to each other.(黨同伐異、民粹氾濫與煽動意識型態對立的課題)

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★ The United Daily , Chief-editorial ,  2-6-2017

Those Taiwan's media lacking of self-discipline and  Political/media/TV pundits , Panelist lacking of expertise-knowledge actually became the major source of chaos.   In this "post-truth" age,  fake news are everywhere ......Taiwan's democracy and nomocracy (rule by law) are degraded day by day.

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★The US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014, released at June 26, 2015

Speech freedom / protesters occupied the Executive Yuan. Police forcibly evicted them the next day using batons and water cannon. According to media reports, at least 174 persons, including 119 police officers, were injured in the incident.   Local media have reported incidents of police obstruction and violence directed at journalists who were covering protests against administration policies.  Local academics and media activists alleged that self-censorship continued as some media chose to present news stories in favor of the PRC due to political considerations and the influence of local businesses with close ties to the PRC.
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★<Freedom House>, USA  ( a Washington-based think tank ),  4-29-2015

Taiwan's press-freedom score from 24 (2014 report) down to 27, ranked no.48 ,  fell 1 place from last year's / Liberty Times , 4-30-2015  the vigorous and diverse press reports aggressively on government policies and alleged official wrongdoings.  But, political polarization, self-censorship, and indirect communist Chinese influence somewhat limit the diversity of opinions in mainstream media.  Journalists occasionally face pressure to self-censor on topics important to Red Chinese government.  Many Taiwanese media owners have business connection in China, or like to earn ads. revenue from mainland Chinese companies, making them wary of upsetting Beijing.  Besides, hackers attacked those media criticizing Chinese government, although the authority took investigation on that, Taiwan's press freedom score and ranking position fell.  (ps: Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Holland on top)

◆Websites commenting Taiwan judiciary and prosecutors (http://intlhumanrights.com/TaiwanJudiciary.htm  http://intlhumanrights.com/ProsecutorsTaiwan.htm ) can't be open in governmental institutions -  National Central Library ( test at 2-19-2016) and Taipei City Daan District Office (test at 3-14-2016)... but non-gov. places may see them.   ps: test again at 5-22-2017 in SinEi District Office, it is not 'banned' now.   Most likely it became normal since DPP took charge of the government .

★ London-based Amnesty International , 2-25-2015

 Amnesty expressed concerns about Taiwan’s handling of the student-led Sunflower movement protest against a trade deal with China in March last year.

 It said more than 200 protesters were summoned for questioning under the Criminal Code and Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), and that they remained under threat of prosecution.
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★ London-based Amnesty International , 2-11-2015

London-based AI expressed Taiwan must cancel the prosecution against Sunflower movement protest students, and urged Taiwan to modify  the Criminal Code and Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) and related laws to meet international standard. / source: 大紀元2015年02月11日訊
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★Paris-based <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, Reporters without Borders), Feb. 13, 2015

Taiwan fell 1 place (2015's ranking: No. 51) from the ranking in 2014's report, according to World Press Freedom Index 2015 released yesterday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Top 21 : Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, NZ, Austria, Canada, Jamaica, Estonia, Ireland, Germany, Czech, Slovakia, Belgium, Costa Rica, Namibia, Poland, Luxembourg, Swiss, and Iceland.  Besides, Spain No. 33, UK No.34, France No. 38, USA No. 49, HK 70, Italia 73, Rus No. 152, China No.176

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★ United Daily, Taiwan, 2-25-2016

according to a latest survey, 78% think media monopoly problem in Taiwan is serious. 

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★The US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013, released at Feb. 27, 2014

Censorship or Content Restrictions:  Pressure from China and from local businessmen had led to some self-censorship.

 Local academics and media activists alleged that self-censorship occurred due to influence by local businesses and the PRC. They pointed to a study released in April by a National Taiwan University professor, which found two of Taiwan's leading newspapers published more favorable news stories on visiting PRC officials than their competitors. In addition, they alleged that the state-run Central News Agency decided not to publish a news story about a Gallup poll that found Taiwan people were pessimistic about their daily life.  (ps: speech and the press were generally free)
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★<Freedom House>, USA  ( a Washington-based think tank ),  May 2, 2014

Taiwan's media freedom declines again (BBC: for consecutive 3 years) -  Taiwan fell 1 places from the 2013's report. Taiwan has been ranked 48th in the world for media freedom and labeled "free" by the US-based NGO Freedom House.
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★ Washington Post, 3.25.2014

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday the U.S. supports Taiwan’s vibrant democracy, and hopes that its discussion over the trade agreement can be conducted “peacefully and civilly.” (Political protests in Taiwan are common, but violent confrontations relatively rare, reflecting the high level of civil discourse resulting from the transition from one-party dictatorship to robust democracy in the mid-1990s.  The United States has welcomed steps taken by China and Taiwan to reduce tensions.)
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★ The International Federation of Journalists , 3.26.2014
        Journalists Obstructed as Police Use Force at Taiwan Student Demonstration

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) in condemning the restraining of media reporting on a student-led demonstration in Taiwan which led to a violent confrontation between police and protestors earlier this week. This week, the ATJ issued a declaration on the infringement of coverage with calls for police education in the wake of the heavy-handed police response.
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★Paris-based <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, Reporters without Borders), Feb. 13, 2014

Taiwan’s ranking for press freedom fell three notches from last year to 50th.

Paris-based <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF), a press freedom watchdog body Feb. 13, 2014

according to the World Press Freedom Index 2014 released yesterday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The retreat in Taiwan’s global ranking reflected China’s growing economic clout, which has allowed Beijing to extend its influence over the media in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, “which had been largely spared political censorship until recently,”

Finland retained the top position in the overall list, ahead of the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg and Andorra.

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★ BBC, 5.1.2014

After a series of protests against TW government, Taiwan limits Taiwanese' freedom of speech on the net.   Taiwan policemen are trying to search an internet poster to scare many.  (details pls refer to BBC "台灣收緊網路言論自由" full text)
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★<國家通訊傳播委員會>(Taiwan NCC government, http://www.ncc.gov.tw ),  3.17.2014

According to NCC's latest annual report regarding Taiwan's media communication survey, the most complaints (about 37%") go to "untrue/unbiased content" (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011), among these, Taiwanese most complaints go to TV news report.
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★ <Freedom House>, Washington D.C., USA  , the Freedom of the Press world survey report,   issued on May 1, 2013

With an overall score of 26 on the annual report’s zero to 100 scale, Taiwan dropped one score from 2012 as well as 2011. Taiwan's ranking (No. 8) in Asia & Pacific slipped one spot from last year (No.7).

<Freedom House> 2013 report May 1,  2013

In the Freedom of the Press world survey Washington-based watchdog organization Freedom House.  The main reason Taiwan's freedom of press  falling one point from last year's 25 because of a worse legal environment, (Taiwanese government has put off approving a license for the establishment of a new television station whose owner's financial status turned out to be unsustainable, so must give up the plan  ). Political polarization, self-censorship and indirect Chinese influence limit the diversity of opinions represented in Taiwan’s mainstream media, according to a new report from the US-based watchdog Freedom House.

Freedom House, a Washington-based non-governmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom around the world. Taiwan was judged to have a “free” press with an overall “freedom score” of 26 points, just one point less free than the previous year.

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★ <Freedom House>, Washington D.C., USA , issued on May 31 (US time), June 1, 2013 (eastern time)

Taiwan media reflect diverse perspectives and report sayings of government's corruption and government policies.  However, Taiwan media show a strong preference/bias on some political party, some candidates.
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★ <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, Reporters without Borders), France, Jan 30, 2013

Taiwan ranked 47th in the world in terms of press freedom, Taiwan fell two places from the 2012 in the global rankings. the watchdog was concerned about the protests in Taiwan last year against the Want Want China Times Group’s (旺旺中時集團) bid to buy into another media group. Taiwan remained at the top in the region, ahead of South Korea in 50th place and Japan at 53rd.
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★ <Amnesty International>, London, UK, 2013 report
      ( http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/taiwan/report-2013  )

Concentration of ownership of media outlets raised concerns about freedom of expression and editorial independence. In July, the National Communications Commission (NCC) conditionally approved Want Want China Times Group’s acquisition of a major cable television channel and, in November, acquisition of newspaper giant Next Media. In December, the Taipei High Administrative Court ruled that the NCC had the executive power to revoke the Group’s acquisition of another cable television channel because the channel had failed to meet the conditions set by the NCC.

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★ <The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD ) > & SHU,  Dec. 10, 2013
2013 Survey shows a "F" score (rating 2.7/5.0points) on Taiwanese communication privacy and freedom.

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★ <Freedom House> ( a Washington-based think tank & human rights organization ), USA, May 1, 2012

Taiwan was tied with Poland, Slovenia and Trinidad and Tobago for 47th in Freedom House's 2012 Freedom of the Press rankings, Among Asia-Pacific countries, Taiwan ranked seventh. Taiwan received a total score of 25 points, the same as in 2011.

Taiwan scored an 8 for its legal environment (1 point worse than last year's survey), a 9 for its political environment (no change), and an 8 for its economic environment (1 point better than last year).

 Other concerns include the use of criminal defamation laws against a journalist and blogger as well as a proposed merger that could reduce media diversity."   incidents of news content produced by China's state-run media outlets appearing in Taiwanese newspapers "under less than transparent conditions." ......
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★ <Amnesty International>, London, UK, May 24, 2012

Taiwan's  Restrictions on freedom of assembly remained, with no progress made towards a relaxation of existing, stringent laws. The authorities did little to protect the housing rights of farmers across the island, at times colluding in their eviction.
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★ <Reporters Sans Frontieres> (RSF, Reporters without Borders), France, Jan 25, 2012

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★ <Taipei Times>, Dec. 11 2012
The Democratic Progressive Party: The erosion of human rights under KMT's  administration, in particular regarding the judiciary and media, has placed Taiwan’s proud democracy in jeopardy and requires attention from the international community, ... applying a three-part strategy to monopolize local media by first “paralyzing the public television system and controlling the Chinese Television System,” then following up with Want Want China Times Group’s (旺旺中時集團) “vertical integration of a cable television service and horizontal integration of its pending merger of the Next Media Group.”... Implementing the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) was the most glaring example of Ma’s noncompliance with the covenants,...  there were two major crises in Taiwan: first, people’s suffering from the sluggish economy; second, the backsliding of human rights and the re-emergence of authoritarianism.
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★ <China Post>,  Dec. 11 2012
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman: Taiwan currently faces two major human rights crises: prosecutors that abuse their powers to persecute the people, and private interests that wield dangerous power over the media, Su said, pointing to China as one of the big players in the monopolization of Taiwan's media.
DPP's Policy Research Committee: a recent poll indicates that 62.3 % of Taiwanese are dissatisfied with the government's protection of human rights.

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★ <Apple Daily>, Dec. 5, 2012
Taiwan's freedom of speech is in retreat, scholars worry about Taiwan's democracy doesn't work well ...  Acording to "2012 Taiwanese Human Rights index survey" (conducted by 中華人權協會), 17.9% Taiwanese think Taiwan's overall human rights in progress, 36% think it is in retreat, 76% Taiwanese don't satisfy Taiwan's economy human rights.

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★ <Taipei Times>, Dec. 8, 2012

Public feels human rights deteriorating

DISSATISFACTION: Official corruption, the government’s inability to fill people’s needs and media independence were top public concerns, according to a survey of public opinion by the government-affiliated Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (conducted by Shih Hsin University),...
Corruption was the target of the greatest public dissatisfaction, scoring 1.9 points. It was followed by the government’s ability to respond to people’s needs, which garnered 2 points, and external interference in judicial rulings, at 2.1 points.

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★ <Apple Daily>, Dec. 6, 2012 ,  <Sing Tao Daily> Dec. 5, 2012
Tsinghua University student Chen Wei-ting in the Legislative Yuan was impolite to Taiwan's Education Minister led to a controversy - Education Minister did not listen properly to the demands of the students so he deserve an impolite speech  VS. "the behavior of Chen led us to think of the Cultural Revolution in China, in which the red guards scolded society's elite."
We should focus on protestant students' main demand - the issue that Taiwan's government permitting the Next Media buyout, and Education Minister used the  extraordinarily sensitive phrase "care"( 「關心」or concern), which is overtones word that in the martial law era (戒嚴時期) garrison the headquarters interviews and intimidation of dissidents.  (警備總部約談並恐嚇異議人士時也是使用「關心」這個有弦外之音的語詞。)

★ <Central Radio Station>, Taiwan, Aug. 16, 2012.

ROC (Taiwan government) Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed the behavior of some Hong Kong citizens who carried the national flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan R.O.C.) as well as the flag of People's Republic of China and boarded the Diaoyu Islands (Diaoyutais 釣魚台/釣魚島) belongs to "the freedom of expression".    Japanese government has been insisting that Diaou islands ( Diaoyutais ) belongs to Japan and arrested those HK people .

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★  <the Liberty Times>, Taiwan, April 21, 2012

DDP said Taiwan's first human rights report released yesterday is full of empty boasts and obfuscations ... During DDP's administration, Taiwan's press freedom status went from 35th up to 32nd place, but in KMT time, Taiwan's press freedom status dropped from 42nd down to 48th place.

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 ★ <the China Times>, Taiwan, March 10, 2012

On Mar. 8, 2012, pig farmers across Taiwan voiced their opposition to the government's possible decision to relax import restrictions on beef containing ractopamine (Paylean drugs) with a protest rally  in front of the Legislative Yuan and the Council of Agriculture (Taiwanese government) , Taiwanese police arrested them for their violation of the Assembly and Parade Law, ...... they scolded this had a contempt for international human rights conventions.

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★ 2011 Human Rights reports <USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices> ,  issued on April 8, 2011

        Taiwan's  authorities increased their placement of advertisements packaged as news reports in local newspapers and television.
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★ <Freedom House>, Washington D.C., USA  , the Freedom of the Press world survey report,   issued on May 2, 2011

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★ <Freedom House>, Washington D.C., USA, Jan. 21, 2012

     (1) complaints about unfair competition and concerns about Beijing's interference were present throughout the presidential election campaign.
     (2)  some criminal law is kept and can be used for suing reporters and internet blog writers, may against Taiwan's press freedom.
     (3) Taiwan's overall rating remained the same as last year 2011 and the Washington-based group pro-democracy watchdog highlighted Taiwan's presidential elections in its Freedom. (Liberty Times head-page, Taipei Times, 1/21/2012)
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★ <Amnesty International>, London, UK,  annual report The State of the World's Human Rights 2011, May 13, 2011

Taiwan was criticized over issues to do with the death penalty, freedom of expression (The report also criticized Taiwan's government for what it said was its failure to deliver on promises to amend the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) that limits citizens' rights to assembly and free speech.), justice and migrants' rights.

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★ <the Christian Science Monitor >,  USA   -    Jan 3, 2011

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★ < Reporters Without Borders > , Paris France ,    Oct. 21, 2010 

Press Freedom Index  (2010): Taiwan ranks No. 48,  other Asia & Pacific countries like New Zealand (No. 8）, Japan（No. 11）, Hong Kong（No. 34）, South Korea（No. 42）.

Top 5 are Finland, Iceland, Holland, Norway, and Sweden.   USA ranks No. 20, China No. 171.  

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★ <Freedom House> - Washington D.C. , USA  -   2010  

Taiwan's press freedom declined ，... Taiwan ranked 43th last year,  47th in 2010...

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★ <Freedom House> - Washington D.C. , USA  -   Jan. 13, 2011  

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★ <Reporters Without Borders > Paris, France,  Oct. 1, 2010

Reporters Without Borders believes that a democratic government should take pride in defending the state-owned media’s independence. Protecting their independence is essential in order to guarantee a really democratic political system, one that allows all political parties and all sectors of society to make their voices heard.

...We urge ... to ensure that PTS's (Taiwan's Public Television Service) editorial independence ...

                       ◎

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★    <Taipei Times> , Taiwan,      May 1, 2010  

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★    <Apple daily news> , Taiwan,   public editorial, Oct. 12, 2011,  "Protect our speech freedom!" by professor Cheng, NTU.

Some financial groups with huge money & political power are going to involve in mass media circle ...
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★ <Freedom House/IFEX> - Washington -   September 27, 2010