On the eve of today's presidential inauguration, Tainan County Commissioner Chen Tang-shan (
In what appeared to be a quick recovery from a potentially embarrassing situation for the incoming administration, however, it was announced yesterday that National Cheng Kung University President Weng Cheng-i (
Weng has a PhD in mechanical engineering from Rochester University in the US, and has taught at National Cheng Kung University since 1980. He also currently works as an NSC researcher.
It was believed the sudden adjustment of Cabinet personnel was caused by Chen's resistance to assume his new office unless his choice of stand-in in the Tainan County commissioner's post was not accepted by President-elect Chen Shui-bian (
Instead, Chen Tang-shan is to remain in his current post.
In the process of forming the Cabinet, President-elect Chen invited three current county chiefs to join his new government, while leaving the problem of succession to those stepping up.
Current regulations state that the final decision is in the hands of the interior ministry.
Chen Tang-shan had insisted that the current deputy commissioner, Lin Wen-ting (
Coordination over the issue, however, was less than ideal. A May 17 meeting of DPP factions reached a consensus that Lin would step in. Su, however, apparently become the favored candidate after meeting with Chen on Thursday.
The change in plans appears to have backfired with Chen Tang-shan and Lin, as the latter two days ago publicly criticized President-elect Chen as having "lied."
Despite accepting the NSC chairmanship, and having gone through a "training camp" for the new Cabinet last weekend, Chen Tang-shan told reporters yesterday that he would "consider" whether or not to stay in his current position.
Chen's hesitation, according to Su, was one of the main reasons President-elect Chen had to find a substitute to head the NSC -- instead of worrying about choosing an acting chief for Tainan County.
Su told the Taipei Times that officials from the president-elect's office called him yesterday afternoon, and said that the incoming NSC chairman would be Weng -- a fact later confirmed by Weng himself.
Weng, however, said he was embarrassed about taking over the job under such disputed conditions.
The storm over personnel affairs is also seen as potentially damaging to Chen.
"It has harmed both the DPP and Chen," said DPP legislator Shen Fu-Hsiung (
But President-elect Chen's quick decision on the issue, according to Su, illustrated his boldness in facing disharmony within the government, and was a sign of his ability to build leadership.
Another dispute, meanwhile, has been brewing over the choice of who will head the Taoyuan County Government in place of incoming Vice president Annette Lu (
Among possible candidates, Lu has insisted that her deputy, Hsu Ying-shen (
Unlike the case in Tainan, however, the problem was successfully resolved with Hsu being named to the acting commissioner's post.
Lu, along with Chiayi City Mayor Chang Po-ya (
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)