After weeks of controversy, EasyCard Corp (悠遊卡) chairman Tai Chi-chuan (戴季全) last night resigned as chairman and board member.
Tai said in a statement that he was sorry for having caused a major controversy that wasted resources, and that he could no longer let matters pertaining to his job hinder city officials’ policy addresses and the Taipei City Council’s budget review.
His announcement came one day after Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said he had asked Tai to resign, adding that Tai would not serve as EasyCard general manager as had been agreed upon.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Tai became the focus of cross-party criticism from city councilors after the corporation issued special charity fund-raiser card sets featuring photographs of a Japanese porn star.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said she thought Tai and Ko had made the right decisions, although “a bit late.”
Ko responded to public expectations, Wu said, adding: “I hope the incident ends right here and the Taipei City Government can get back on track.”
“‘If there is a mistake, correct it,’ Ko-p [a nickname for Ko] has always said. The DPP caucus acknowledges Ko is learning from his mistakes, and we will continue to be his ally and help him recover,” she said.
Taipei City Council Speaker Wu Pi-chu (吳碧珠) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said she did not approve of Ko’s handling of the incident, but the outcome was “acceptable.”
“A subordinate should never let his superior take a bullet for him. With everyone wanting Tai to step down, Ko should have made this decision much earlier,” she said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS