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    TAIPEI, Sept 13 (Reuter) - Taiwan police arrested the popular
host of the island's most outspoken pirate radio station on Tuesday
after he refused to appear in court.
     A Taipei District Court judge issued a warrant for the arrest
of Hsu Rong-chi, talk show host for the illegal Voice of Taiwan
station, on Monday after he repeatedly ignored orders to appear in
court, local newspapers said.
     Police arrested Hsu as he was holding a news conference in the
Legislative Yuan building, an aide to opposition Democratic
Progressive Party legislator Chen Chao-nan said by telephone.
     The court ordered Hsu be detained, saying it feared he would
abscond.
     His arrest prompted several dozen taxi drivers to gather
outside the court in protest. The drivers were surrounded by
hundreds of riot police.
     Hsu had called the news conference to protest against a court
order that had prevented him from travelling to the United States
last weekend.
     The court issued the travel ban because Hsu is facing several
charges, including calling an illegal public gathering.
     "Preventing my departure at the airport has adversely affected
Taiwan's international image," Hsu said in a protest letter to
Premier Lien Chan. "I hope I will be the last citizen to be
prevented by the Nationalist Party from leaving Taiwan."
     Hsu staged a 32-hour sit-in protest at the airport while
hundreds of taxi-drivers and supporters waited outside.
     Hsu's Voice of Taiwan station is highly critical of the ruling
Nationalist Party. Hsu has said he will not apply to legalise the
station because he fears the Nationalists will not allow real
freedom of speech.
     The government has confiscated the station's transmitting
equipment three times this year. On the last occasion on August 31,
Voice of Taiwan resumed broadcasting within hours.
     Taiwan last year lifted a four-decade-old ban on new radio
stations in an attempt to liberalise the island's electronic media.
Most illegal stations have not applied to register under the new and
strict regulations governing private stations.
     The island currently has 33 radio stations, 21 of which are
private. BCC, the largest, is controlled by the Nationalists.
  REUTER

Copyright 1994 Reuters America Inc.  All rights reserved.
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