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.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
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