[quote]The Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) demanded yesterday that the National Police Agency (NPA) stop pressuring photojournalists to help find potential suspects in the rallies that ensued during a controversial visit made by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yun-lin (陳雲林) earlier this month.
“The police have put the reporters in grave danger by demanding that they rat on their interviewees,” ATJ president Leon Chuang (莊豐嘉) said.
“Such requests disparage the reporters’ right to work safely,” he said.
The ATJ said many photojournalists had filed complaints saying that the police have sought their help in identifying suspects who allegedly took part in the violence.
When the reporters refused to provide the pictures, the police went directly to heads of the news outlets to pressure the reporters into giving up the photos, ATJ said…
The police yesterday said the accusation was groundless, arguing that it is customary for the police to solicit the media’s help in gathering evidence.
Taipei City Policy Bureau media contact Wang Wen-shen (王文伸) shrugged off the accusation saying: “Do you really think the police have enough power to force reporters to do anything?”[/quote]
So glad to see the KMT are upholding free speech in Taiwan - did they ask this of journalists when those people were protesting against Chen when he was in office?
[quote]The Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) demanded yesterday that the National Police Agency (NPA) stop pressuring photojournalists to help find potential suspects in the rallies that ensued during a controversial visit made by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yun-lin (陳雲林) earlier this month.
“The police have put the reporters in grave danger by demanding that they rat on their interviewees,” ATJ president Leon Chuang (莊豐嘉) said.
“Such requests disparage the reporters’ right to work safely,” he said.
The ATJ said many photojournalists had filed complaints saying that the police have sought their help in identifying suspects who allegedly took part in the violence.
When the reporters refused to provide the pictures, the police went directly to heads of the news outlets to pressure the reporters into giving up the photos, ATJ said…
The police yesterday said the accusation was groundless, arguing that it is customary for the police to solicit the media’s help in gathering evidence.
Taipei City Policy Bureau media contact Wang Wen-shen (王文伸) shrugged off the accusation saying: “Do you really think the police have enough power to force reporters to do anything?”[/quote]
So glad to see the KMT are upholding free speech in Taiwan - did they ask this of journalists when those people were protesting against Chen when he was in office? [/quote]
something needs to be done about the pigs, the corruption is just too deep
Seriously if one catch all these violent people, who’s going to be left to make the next demonstration more exciting. God forbid Taiwan actually have a peaceful demonstration when PRC envoys are in Taiwan.
Better question is to ask what kind of are restrictions are there in German law for the press since Taiwanese law is based on German civil law. I think the comparison with US wouldn’t be as telling as a comparison with what Germany allows.
That aside, what is the problem with looking at the photos to see if you can find out who the instigators were? From what I read about the protests on this board, the majority of the people at the rallies were decent, non-violent people. Wouldn’t this help track down the minority of the protesters who wantonly used violence and put everyone else at risk?
I don’t see it as a huge infringement on the press or their freedoms here. The police are trying to look at pictures they took, not an interview book filled with source’s names. When you are out in public protesting, you should expect pictures to be taken of you. Being in a public area, it’s reasonable to assume that you don’t have the same level of privacy as if you were to contact a journalist as a confidential source.
I don’t know of any cities in the US that would let a mob get close to the POTUS and a foreign envoy when they are about to sign a bilateral trade agreement. Let alone a violent mob.
Do you advocate that people hinder a government investigation at the cost to social stability?
I don’t know of any cities in the US that would let a mob get close to the POTUS and a foreign envoy when they are about to sign a bilateral trade agreement. Let alone a violent mob.
Do you advocate that people hinder a government investigation at the cost to social stability?[/quote]
Is that a comment on the restrictions, or the relative competence of the local constabulary?
It is reasonable for the police to ask for the photos and it is also reasonable for reporters to refuse to provide them. It becomes a problem if police apply undue pressure or make threats against the media for failing to provide them.
I assume the media are hesitant to provide the photos because they fear innocent people may have the photos used against them.
I was at some of these protests and took a lot of photos. I know that some of them could easily be interpreted in ways that doesn’t actually represent what was happening.
Another issue is that police might use the photos to prosecute protesters, but they won’t use them to prosecute police who also may have broken the law.
quite right… the police asking the media for footage to assist in the investigation of crimes committed at large public gatherings is common place the world over… at football matches in the UK that turned violent, at Republican election speeches in the US where threats were yelled from the crowds and at public anti government demonstrations in South Africa where private property was vandalized are just the first few recent examples that immediately spring to mind… it’s entirely innocuous and legitimate, standard police procedure the world over and has absolutely nothing to do with freedom of speech or the lack thereof…
so unless specific evidence of heavy handed police intimidation or threats can be provided, it’s nothing more than certain elements of the Taiwan public’s ignorance of, and adolescent aversion to, standard police practice and the rule of law…
sadly this quote is both far more telling and far more accurate…
[quote=“ac_dropout”]Do you have photo evidence the police broke the law at the protest? Do you have evidence of citizens breaking the law at the protest?
I think those are the photos the authorities are interested in. Not vague photos open to interpretations.[/quote]
Please note that I used the auxiliary verbs might and may in my post.
All photos are open to interpretation. A photo only captures a small moment in time. It doesn’t show what happened before and after and it doesn’t show what was going on outside the frame of the photo. A single photo showing protesters clashing with police doesn’t necessarily enable one to determine who initiated the clash or who might be acting aggressively or in self defence.
Another point I might add is that there were a number of uniformed police officers at most of these protests video recording the events. Police already have plenty of material they can use for evidence.
[quote=“wix”][quote=“ac_dropout”]Do you have photo evidence the police broke the law at the protest? Do you have evidence of citizens breaking the law at the protest?
I think those are the photos the authorities are interested in. Not vague photos open to interpretations.[/quote]
Please note that I used the auxiliary verbs might and may in my post.
All photos are open to interpretation. A photo only captures a small moment in time. It doesn’t show what happened before and after and it doesn’t show what was going on outside the frame of the photo. A single photo showing protesters clashing with police doesn’t necessarily enable one to determine who initiated the clash or who might be acting aggressively or in self defence.
Another point I might add is that there were a number of uniformed police officers at most of these protests video recording the events. Police already have plenty of material they can use for evidence.[/quote]
If your photos don’t capture any crimes, then there no need for fuss.
If you have photo of someone throwing a flaming cocktail or someone getting sodomized with a police baton, then you might want to rethink your position.
[quote=“ac_dropout”][quote=“wix”][quote=“ac_dropout”]Do you have photo evidence the police broke the law at the protest? Do you have evidence of citizens breaking the law at the protest?
I think those are the photos the authorities are interested in. Not vague photos open to interpretations.[/quote]
Please note that I used the auxiliary verbs might and may in my post.
All photos are open to interpretation. A photo only captures a small moment in time. It doesn’t show what happened before and after and it doesn’t show what was going on outside the frame of the photo. A single photo showing protesters clashing with police doesn’t necessarily enable one to determine who initiated the clash or who might be acting aggressively or in self defence.
Another point I might add is that there were a number of uniformed police officers at most of these protests video recording the events. Police already have plenty of material they can use for evidence.[/quote]
If your photos don’t capture any crimes, then there no need for fuss.
If you have photo of someone throwing a flaming cocktail or someone getting sodomized with a police baton, then you might want to rethink your position.[/quote]
So if a tree falls down in a forest and no one is around. Does it make any noise?
I think your a KMT biggot, but based on the materials that you’ve written in the forums, but does it make it any less true?
Would you rather believe in the KMT party blindly than your fellow citizens?
Would you rape and torture thousands of innocent women because you were told to?
Have you no conscious?
[quote=“ac_dropout”]If your photos don’t capture any crimes, then there no need for fuss.
If you have photo of someone throwing a flaming cocktail or someone getting sodomized with a police baton, then you might want to rethink your position.[/quote]
So if a reporter/news agency says “I/we have no photos of anyone committing a crime”, then that’s ok and the Police should regard that avenue of investigation closed?
My concern is that they’ve already shown they’re willing to arrest/harrass people based on doing legal things like displaying flags, playing music, chanting slogans, etc. So if they now want photographs there’s no guarantee they’re not interested in going after those sorts of people rather than ones that engaged in actual, unprovoked violence.
What if the police profile of those willing to engage in unprovoke attacks against the authorities are Tibet Independence, FLG, and Taiwan Independence supporters. Is it beneficial to society to have these groups feel they can behave with impunity in Taiwan during a demonstration.
Do moderates in those movement comfortable with the more violent elements in their movement? I know I would be concerned if other members of a cause I supported started throwing flaming cocktails at the cops.
