President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday approved Andrew Yang (楊念祖) as deputy minister of national defense to replace Chang Liang-jen (張良任).
The Ministry of National Defense has two deputy ministers.
While Chang will be replaced, the other deputy minister, Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋), will stay on.
Chang was appointed to the post last September and was put in charge of administrative affairs. Chao, appointed in February, is in charge of armaments.
A former military official said yesterday that Yang, secretary-general of the Taipei-based Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, was unlikely to last long, as he — like Chang — has no military background.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Yang’s advantages consisted of being an “academic who has a moderate temperament and is honest, cooperative and obedient.”
Yang would not stay on long because it would be hard for him to adjust to the military culture, the official said.
The working hours are long — usually 7am to 10pm or 11pm — and the meetings are endless, the official said.
“Civilian ministers worry too much. They don’t take naps, so they’re worn out at the end of the day,” he said.
Furthermore, the job of a deputy defense minister is to tackle thorny issues that are hard for a civilian, he said.
“The position of deputy defense minister is like the right-hand man of the Bamboo Union [竹聯幫] leader,” the official said. “If you don’t come from a gang, you don’t know how to do your job.”
Meanwhile, the Cabinet yesterday announced the appointment of more deputy ministers, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shen Lyu-hsun (沈呂巡).
Shen will succeed Andrew Hsia (夏立言), who resigned over an order sent to Taiwan’s overseas representative offices instructing them to reject non-cash foreign aid following Typhoon Morakot.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
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Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) may apply to visit home following the death of his father this morning, the Taipei Detention Center said. Ko’s father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away at 8:40am today at the Hsinchu branch of National Taiwan University Hospital. He was 94 years old. The center said Ko Wen-je was welcome to apply, but declined to say whether it had already received an application. The center also provides psychological counseling to people in detention as needed, it added, also declining to comment on Ko Wen-je’s mental state. Ko Wen-je is being held in detention as he awaits trial
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