Three former legislators who lost their seats in last month's legislative elections were recruited to the Cabinet yesterday.
Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Tuoh (王拓) was appointed chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs, taking over the position that was vacated by Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠), who was elected a DPP legislator-at large last month.
Former DPP legislator Julian Kuo (郭正亮) will succeed Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), who was also elected a DPP legislator-at-large, as deputy chairman of Sports Affairs Council.
Former Council of Hakka Affairs deputy minister Chiu Yi-ying's (邱議瑩) position will be filled by former DPP legislator Peng Tien-fu (彭添富).
Government Information Office Minister Shieh Jhy-wey (
Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南), who was appointed Governor of the Central Bank of China in February 1998, has been asked by Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) to serve in the position for another five-year term, Shieh said.
Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) will move to become deputy minister of Transportation and Communications, filling the position left vacant since last May, when Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) was promoted to Executive Yuan secretary-general.
Lee's vacancy at the Justice Ministry will be filled by former Taiwan Solidarity Union legislator Kuo Lin-yung (郭林勇).
Minister Without Portfolio Lin Chin-chang (
Chen Tso-chen (陳佐鎮) has been appointed deputy minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. He has previously served as director-general of the Bureau of Standards, head of the economic department at the nation's representative office in Canada and also as director of the ministry's office in central Taiwan.
Vacancies left to be filled in the Cabinet are vice chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, vice chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission and vice chairman of the Fair Trade Commission.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his