Outgoing Secretary General of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Loh Ping-cheung (
"I can assure you that the way the institutions are structured, it's impossible for the fund to do anything that violates the foreign ministry's policy," Loh said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Loh made the remarks in an address at the organization's five-year anniversary celebration, which was viewed by some as Loh's farewell speech.
Quieting Speculation
Loh resigned on June 19 amid speculation the move was trig-gered by his longstanding disagreement with the ministry over the evaluation and implementation of foreign aid and development projects.
Loh, who worked for the World Bank from 1964 to 1996, said that he believes that he has "left some legacies" which he said can serve as "paradigms" for the organization.
In an apparent move to dismiss charges made by foreign ministry officials that the fund under Loh ignored Taiwan's foreign policy considerations, Loh said the ICDF consulted overseas offices regarding aid projects.
"The fund has carried out the three-year foreign assistance rolling core program which requires the foreign ministry to have three-years notice before a project is implemented.
"Taiwan's embassies and overseas representative offices offer their input on every project [under the ICDF]," Loh said.
`No way' was there a violation
"Any of the fund's activities that are outside the rolling core program and that require financial support require approval from the foreign ministry.
"This is a system that I've established and there is no way that I would violate such an operation," Loh told reporters after the ceremony.
Loh said Taiwan's development in areas such as agricultural transformation and small-and-medium enterprises have become yardsticks for the fund's foreign aid programs.
The fund also tried to use its limited resources as efficiently as possible when carrying out foreign aid projects, Loh said.
A `great loss'
Some staffers at the fund regretted Loh's resignation, saying his absence from the five-year-old organization is a "great loss" for the institution.
Ko Yu-chin (
When asked by the Taipei Times to respond to the allegations against him, Loh said: "I am not at the same level as those who have a problem with me. I am above that."
Macedonia link?
The immediate cause of Loh's resignation, some media have claimed, is related to the handling of shaky Taiwan-Macedonia ties in early June.
Loh had reportedly proposed offering Macedonia a so-called "peace fund" to help reconstruct the crisis-torn Balkan state as a last-ditch effort to maintain ties with the country.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Katharine Chang (張小月), however, immediately denied the proposal was related to Macedonia, saying the idea was still in its infancy and was "purely a product of some people within the fund."
Loh will go on leave this Friday until his resignation is formally approved by the fund's board of directors at a meeting scheduled for July 25, sources said.
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
NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS: ‘No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path,’ William Lai said, urging progress ‘without looking back’ President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged parties across the political divide to democratically resolve conflicts that have plagued domestic politics within Taiwan’s constitutional system. In his first New Year’s Day address since becoming president on May 20 last year, Lai touched on several issues, including economic and security challenges, but a key emphasis was on the partisan wrangling that has characterized his first seven months in office. Taiwan has transformed from authoritarianism into today’s democracy and that democracy is the future, Lai said. “No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path for Taiwan,” he said. “The only choice
CORRUPTION: Twelve other people were convicted on charges related to giving illegal benefits, forgery and money laundering, with sentences ranging from one to five years The Yilan District Court yesterday found Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) guilty of corruption, sentencing her to 12 years and six months in prison. The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office in 2022 indicted 10 government officials and five private individuals, including Lin, her daughter and a landowner. Lin was accused of giving illegal favors estimated to be worth NT$2.4 million (US$73,213) in exchange for using a property to conduct activities linked to the 2020 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential and legislative election campaigns. Those favors included exempting some property and construction firms from land taxes and building code contraventions that would have required
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration
RSS