Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday was mum on reports that he would appoint former Greater Taichung deputy mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) to be his third deputy mayor, but hinted that candidates with backgrounds in education would be “very suitable” for the post.
While the third deputy mayor seat has remained vacant since Ko’s second term began on Dec. 25 last year, some local media on Tuesday reported that Ko is likely announce Tsai for the position next week or after he returns from a visit to the US.
Tsai previously served as principal of Taichung First Senior High School and Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, as well as Taichung deputy mayor under former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). He was also deputy minister of culture from 2015 to 2016.
Asked for comment yesterday, Ko said: “When the time comes, someone will come to work and everyone will know.”
“I do not think about the pan-blue or pan-green camps anymore; I am free from hindrance,” he said when asked if his appointment of Tsai would imply his intention to cooperate with the KMT, similar to his appointment of Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a deputy mayor before his falling-out with the DPP.
The third deputy mayor would be in charge of supervising the city’s departments of social welfare, education, cultural affairs, and information and tourism, so appointing someone with a background in education would be most suitable, Ko said.
Asked why he has not recruited any DPP members, Ko said that not all personnel assignments have been decided by him alone, such as the decision to make former Taipei city councilor Chen Lee-hui (陳孋輝) the director of partially city government-owned bus carrier Metropolitan Transport Corp, which was suggested by the Taipei Department of Transportation.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final