Wang Cheng-hsu (王正旭) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took the oath of office as a legislator-at-large yesterday, filling a vacancy left by former legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), who quit after he lost the vote earlier this month to retain the position.
Wang, chairman of the Hope Foundation for Cancer Care, was listed in 13th place on the DPP’s legislator-at-large register, which meant he was the first pick for the party after You resigned following his loss to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) in the Feb. 1 vote for speaker of the legislature.
Wang was sworn in a ceremony presided over by Constitutional Court Justice Tsai Tzung-jen (蔡宗珍) and witnessed by Han, Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), the DPP and the KMT caucus whips, and former DPP legislator Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源).
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Wang said he is ready to help advance healthcare in Taiwan, in line with president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) plans to build a healthier society.
Wang said he hoped that he would serve on the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee to help achieve that goal.
Chiu, who serves as honorary president of the Taiwan Medical Association, said there is still much room for improvement in Taiwan’s medical sector, and it has been striving for a long time to provide better healthcare to the public.
Wang has the qualifications, professional expertise and experience to help in that regard, Chiu said, adding that the medical community fully supports the selection of Wang as a legislator.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday confirmed that Chinese students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation were almost all affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During yesterday’s meeting convened by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) asked whether the visit was a way to spread China’s so-called “united front” rhetoric, to which MAC Deputy Ministry Shen You-chung (沈有忠) responded with the CCP comment. The MAC noticed that the Chinese individuals visiting Taiwan, including those in sports, education, or religion, have had increasingly impressive backgrounds, demonstrating that the
As Taiwan celebrated its baseball team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 on Sunday, how politicians referred to the team in their congratulatory messages reflected the nation’s political divide. Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北隊), made history with its first-ever Premier12 championship after beating Japan 4-0 at the Tokyo Dome. Right after the game, President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated the team via a post on his Facebook page. Besides the players, Lai also lauded the team’s coaching and medical staff, and the fans cheering for them in Tokyo or watching the live broadcast, saying that “every
RSS