Department of Health (DOH) Director-General Lee Ming-liang (李明亮) yesterday revealed some of the candidates to take over his position after the Executive Yuan approved his resignation on Friday.
According to Lee, DOH Deputy Director-General Twu Shiing-jer (
Local Chinese-language media have also suggested that former minister without portfolio Chen Jin-huang (
Twu, who only took on his position two months ago, is regarded as the leading candidate because of his close ties to the president.
Since Lee's resignation will take effect on the same day the government raises the amount people pay into the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, and the first day of registration for the next session of the Legislative Yuan, opposition lawmakers yesterday criticized him for trying to dodge his responsibilities.
"If Lee leaves office on the same day the new scheme [to raise NHI payments] starts, who should be responsible for the results of the new policy?" PFP Legislator Lin Hui-kuan (
Lin also accused Lee of "trying to evade lawmakers' criticism and supervision [of the new NHI payment scheme] because he will leave office on the day when a new legislative session starts."
In response, Lee said he had not chosen to resign suddenly but that it had been an "ongoing process" since he first mentioned his intention to resign in February.
"The policies and directions of the rise in NHI payments has been set so that whoever takes over the post will not be confused," Lee said.
Lee was also criticized for a remark he made on Saturday, in which he said: "The hardest thing for me in being a government official is that I cannot tell the truth and I cannot lie either."
Shen said that someone with a clear conscience should speak the truth before leaving office.
"Since Lee enjoys a good reputation in society, he cannot leave when so many details [regarding NHI reform] have been left unresolved," Shen said.
In response, Lee told reporters yesterday, "What I meant was that I could not tell [the truth] when the policies had not been decided yet. As for the lies, I am just saying that I am not someone who lies."
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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