The Ministry of Education last night announced that due to concerns over failures to avoid conflicts of interest, it has decided not to approve the appointment of National Taiwan University (NTU) president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔).
The decision came more than three months after Kuan was elected by the NTU election committee as the university’s president. Kuan was originally scheduled to take office on Feb. 1.
While campaigning, Kuan did not reveal he was a Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大) independent director, among other posts, Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) said.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Taiwan Mobile vice chairman Richard Tsai (蔡明興), who was on the committee, also failed to avoid a conflict of interest, he said.
NTU did not fulfill its responsibilities in the election, resulting in a competition that was unfair and biased against other candidates, he added.
At the same time, a situation in which academic integrity was obviously breached also emerged, Lin said, referring to accusations of plagiarism by Kuan.
The university’s presidential election is to return to its initial stage of reviewing the qualifications of recommended candidates, he said.
The ministry said it has asked NTU and the committee to report after they have carried out a complete recommendation and election process that meets the requirements set by the university.
Kuan did not respond to requests for comment as of press time last night.
Since his election on Jan. 5, Kuan has been accused of plagiarism and having a conflict of interest, which initially cast doubt on the legitimacy of his selection and prevented the ministry from confirming his appointment with effect from Feb. 1 as scheduled.
The university eventually cleared Kuan of the accusations, but last month allegations surfaced of him teaching illegally in China since 2005.
Earlier this month, the ministry assembled a task force to investigate whether Kuan had been working in China — a breach of Taiwan’s laws, which prohibit government officials, public servants and public-school teachers from working in China.
Kuan served as a minister without portfolio from 2012 to 2015, Council for Economic Planning and Development minister from 2013 to 2014 and National Development Council minister from 2014 to 2015.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS