In a U-turn from his previous position, Premier Frank Hsieh approved the resignation of Vice Minister of the Interior Lin Yung-chien (林永堅), Cabinet spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
Lin resigned to take responsibility for the violent clashes between pan-blue and pan-green camp supporters at CKS International Airport as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
"I hope criticism stops here, as I took the responsibility and resigned," Lin said. "From now on, I hope we will keep encouraging our police officers as they continue to do their jobs. We shall have faith in them."
Lin made his remarks during a press conference at the ministry yesterday morning.
"I called [Hsieh] last night and told him that I would take the responsibility and resign. He understood and said, `thank you for your sacrifice,'" Lin said.
The vice minister said that he is responsible because Interior Minister Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) was in Rome participating in the Pope's coronation on that day.
During the press conference, Lin also responded to criticism regarding the inability of the police to bring the brawl to an end, or to dismiss the crowd at the airport before clashes took place.
"The police's priority in such situations is to talk the person or people down. The police did not do anything wrong," Lin said.
But the former vice minister signaled out airport security officials for failing to prevent the violence.
"I feel regret that the officer in charge at the scene failed to exercise his authority and respond properly when the violence broke out," Lin said, referring to former Aviation Police Bureau Director Chen Juei-tien (陳瑞添).
Chen was moved out of the job and into a research position shortly after the incident.
Lin also said that the ministry's request from the police was clear and well informed. Unfortunately, the Aviation Police Bureau director did not strictly enforce the law so he lost his job, he said.
In addition, National Police Agency Deputy Director-General Liu Shih-lin (劉世林) was also administratively punished for failing to ensure that the bureau had sufficient personnel to maintain security at the airport.
Lin also told reporters that Director-General Hsieh Ing-dan (謝銀黨) said he should also be punished for the incident.
His request has not been confirmed.
"We need Hsieh to stay, at least for this moment, to comfort the police force and encourage fellow officers," Lin said.
Now that Lin is no longer vice interior minister, he said he hopes "probes into police conduct can be stopped at this point," as police still have many tough jobs ahead.
Lin was referring to Lien's return on May 3, and People First Party Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) departure for China May 5.
Lin, a former deputy mayor of Kaohsiung, assumed the second-highest post at the MOI -- which supervises police operations -- in February this year.
Meanwhile, Chen Tzi-chin (
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS