The Control Yuan published asset declarations of government officials yesterday, the first time since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration came to power on May 20.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and first lady Chow Mei-chin’s (周美青) bank deposits increased to NT$64.68 million (US$1.94 million) from NT$52.37 million in February when he was running his presidential campaign.
Data released by the Control Yuan showed that the first couple have stocks valued at NT$687,470 and other securities valued at NT$289,736, while in 2006 their stocks were valued at NT$684,470 and the other securities at NT$249,787.
The data also showed that bank deposits belonging to Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and his wife decreased to NT$27. 25 million from NT$29.05 million in February.
Siew’s wife Chu Chu-hsien (朱俶賢) declared that she possessed two pieces of diamond jewelry valued at NT$1.2 million and NT$1.4 million respectively and two necklaces worth NT$700,000.
Of the 74 officials whose declared assets were listed, Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) was the only official whose assets were being managed by financial consultants to avoid any possible conflict of interest.
The publication showed that the savings of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and his wife increased to NT$11.34 million from NT$9.93 million nine years ago when Liu was vice premier.
Vice Premier Paul Chiu (邱正雄) and his wife’s savings increased from NT$9.12 million nine years ago when Chiu was finance minister to NT$16.4 million.
Executive Yuan Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (薛香川) and his wife’s savings also increased, from NT$8.73 million when he was vice chairman of the National Science Council seven years ago, to NT$11.34 million.
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
RSS