Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday appointed four new Cabinet members to join the DPP government, a move which he said was done to maintain political stability and stimulate economic development.
The four new Cabinet members chosen by the premier include New Party convener Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who replaces Lin Jun-yi (林俊義) as head of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA, 環保署); Hu Chin-piao (胡錦標), who leaves his position of minister without portfolio to replace Hsia Der-yu (夏德鈺) as chairman of the Atomic Energy Council (AEC, 原能會); and Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正), director of the institute of economics at Academia Sinica, who will fill the vacancy left by Hu Chin-piao.
Meanwhile, Vice President of National Chiao Tung University Wei Che-he (
Chang said that he had approved the resignation of Lin, the former head of the Environmental Protection Administration, because Lin insisted on taking responsibility for the delayed cleanup of a recent oil spill in southern Taiwan.
"However, I am impressed with Lin for setting a good example to all Cabinet members, since he was willing to shoulder all the political responsibility himself," Chang added, speaking at a press conference yesterday afternoon.
Chang also said Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Chu-lan (
In response, Yeh immediately returned to her post yesterday after several days of absence, saying that "I've decided to stay and I will do my best."
Even though the Cabinet decided to restart construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) last month, after coming under pressure from the opposition, there has been much speculation that the Executive Yuan is seeking a way to reverse the decision.
The premier, therefore, was questioned by reporters over whether Hau, who has said he support the nuclear project, would be an obstacle to the Cabinet's possible plans to hold a referendum at the year's end.
Chang, however, denied this would be a problem, saying that "the decision of the plant's fate had been decided by the Cabinet. It won't be altered simply because of one man's opinion."
Chang denied media speculation that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) orchestrated the reshuffle.
Chang said the president fully respected his decision over the new Cabinet appointments.
Echoing Chang's remarks, secretary-general to the president Yu Shyi-kun also said that Chen met with Hau last Saturday after Chang had decided to recruit Hau into his Cabinet.
"The president is absolutely not involved in the Cabinet reshuffle. He only asked the premier to complete it as soon as possible and to find better replacements," Yu said yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle confirmed prior speculation that ministers responsible for economic or financial portfolios, including Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (林信義), Minister of Finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), and Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development Chen Po-chih (陳博志), would not be dismissed.
In addition, Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (
"As Tzeng has said many times, I've never asked him to meet me in my office," Chang said. "Is it possible that I will fire him [without informing him first]?" Chang added at yesterday's press conference.
Chang also denied media speculation that Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats