Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Wednesday approved Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung’s (林佳龍) resignation after informing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of his decision, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Lin offered his resignation one day after the derailment of a Taroko Express train in Hualien County on April 2, which killed 49 people and injured 244, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said, adding that Lin would leave office on Tuesday next week.
Tsai and Su considered it a top priority to resume railway service after the derailment, leading to the delayed acceptance of Lin’s resignation, Lo said.
Photo: CNA
After restoration work at the site of the crash was concluded, Lin on Tuesday met with Su, telling him that he was determined to take full political responsibility for the incident, Lo said, adding that Su and Tsai respected Lin’s decision.
“The resignation was approved on Wednesday and is to take effect on Tuesday next week,” he said.
“We are still interviewing potential candidates for the post and will announce when a new transportation minister is found,” Lo said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The meeting of Lin and Su lasted about one hour, and Lin reported what he had done since the derailment, from helping and visiting families of the deceased to restoring railway traffic, Lo said.
Su and Lin agreed that reform of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) is necessary, and should address safety and labor issues, Lo said, adding that in their view, reform of the agency should be swift and on a large scale.
“The premier has been briefed about several feasible solutions to enhance the safety of the TRA and reduce the agency’s financial losses,” Lo said. “We are not planning to privatize the agency, but we hope that it could operate efficiently and safely through a corporate management.”
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Lin thanked Su for approving his resignation.
Lin also thanked the public for their concerns over the TRA.
“Before I leave, I will make sure that normal and safe operation will be resumed in Hualien, and that the ministry will have implemented a mechanism to coordinate with and care for victims’ families,” Lin said.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材), Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) and Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) are among potential candidates to succeed Lin, local media reported.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to