Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) yesterday kept mum about any possible successor to Lin Yi-shih (林益世), who resigned as secretary-general of the Executive Yuan late on Thursday night amid allegations of corruption.
Former department of health minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川), a close confidant of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), was rumored to be a possible candidate, but offered no comment on the speculation.
Yeh said that he “was not aware of that [speculation]” in a telephone interview.
Earlier yesterday, Chen said he has not yet started to consider possible successors to Lin, but added that he has two criteria: that the chief staff shall be good at dealing with difficulties and atcommunicating with people.
Lin, 44, was a four-term lawmaker who lost his re-election bid in January this year.
The premier said Lin was appointed secretary-general because both President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and him considered Lin met the qualifications.
Chen dismissed media speculation that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General Lin Join-sane (林中森), who served as secretary-general of the Executive Yuan when Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) was premier, or Liao Liou-yi (廖了以), president of Association of East Asian Relations, who served as secretary-general of the KMT and the Presidential Office, were possible replacements.
Lin resigned two days after he was accused by Chen Chi-hsiang (陳啟祥) — the owner of Kaohsiung-based Ti Yung Co — of taking a bribe of NT$63 million (US$2.1 million) from the company in 2010 and of demanding NT$83 million in February and March when his company was to renew procurement contracts with two of China Steel Corp’s subsidiaries.
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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