Representative to Indonesia Andrew Hsia (夏立言) yesterday was named deputy minister of the Ministry of National Defense in charge of policy, drawing mix reactions from lawmakers.
At a question-and-answer session in the legislature, Premier Jiang Yi-hua (江宜樺) said that Hsia would be tasked with overseeing arms procurement policies, a position that has been vacant for about two months.
The position was left vacant on Aug. 1 when former vice minister of national defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖) was promoted after former minister of national defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) resigned over public outrage at the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), who died from alleged abuse. Yang resigned from his new post days later.
Photo: CNA
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ken-te (陳根德) questioned Hsia’s qualifications for the job because of the “lack of professionalism” in defense-related affairs he showed as he fielded questions during the session.
Jiang said that the appointment was made after consultations with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the defense ministry.
Hsia has the expertise required for the position, which is similar to his predecessor’s, Jiang said.
Minister of National Defense Yen Ming (嚴明), who succeeded Yang, said he welcomed having more experienced diplomats in the ministry.
According to the Executive Yuan, Hsia will be the third civilian deputy defense minister under the Ma administration since May 2008, following Yang and Representative to Israel Chang Liang-jen (張良任).
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) praised the appointment.
Hsia, previously stationed in New York, is fluent in English and experienced in dealing with the US government, while also possessing a broad knowledge of international politics, which qualifies him to be a deputy defense minister, the key person who communicates with the US about arms procurement policies, Lin said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said the appointment was “illogical” because Hsia lacked experience in handling defense-related affairs and was not well-acquainted with such issues.
There is no comparison between Yang and Hsia because Yang specialized in military strategy before he entered the ministry, Hsiao said.
Hsia resigned as deputy minister of foreign affairs in August 2009 after a cable sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructing foreign missions to decline all forms of foreign aid in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot was disclosed by a newspaper, sparking a public backlash.
Elsewhere, Vice Minister of Education Chen Te-hua (陳德華) is to succeed Deputy Minister of Education Chen Yi-hsing (陳益興), while Council of Indigenous Peoples Chief Secretary Chen Cheng-chia (陳成家) was appointed deputy minister of the council, the Executive Yuan said in a statement.
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,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RSS