Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) apologized to the public yesterday for his remark that the inventor of unpaid leave deserved to receive a Nobel Prize.
“I would hereby like to apologize if the public had a different interpretation [of my remark] and if it caused any inconvenience,” Wu said in a written statement, adding that he did not intend to cause offence.
Wu drew widespread criticism from civic groups and legislators on Wednesday over comments he made on Tuesday while meeting with winners of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ award for creating substantial job opportunities.
He said that whoever created the unpaid leave system deserved the Nobel Prize because the system helped businesses retain ties to their employees during the global economic crisis without the need for severance pay, adding that it allowed employees to return to their jobs when the economy improved.
Enraged by Wu’s comments, labor activists on Wednesday called the premier “brain dead,” saying he was insensitive to the plight of workers. Wu at the time responded by saying people needed to develop a sense of humor.
Finding that his explanation failed to quell labor groups’ anger, Wu issued a written apology yesterday, saying he was only giving credit to workers and employers for their cooperation and mutual understanding during the harsh economic downturn.
Earlier yesterday, about 20 young labor rights activists staged a protest outside the Executive Yuan, calling Wu “brainless.”
“Many corporations took the opportunity [presented by unpaid leave during the economic downturn] to lay off employees or force senior workers to resign,” Youth Labor Union 95 member Hu Meng-yu (胡孟瑀) said.
Lee Ying-hsuan (李盈萱), one of the protesters, said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should allow the premier to take unpaid leave so he could develop a sense of empathy for the difficulties faced by workers.
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
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
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,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
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