In the wake of harsh criticism from President Chen Shiu-bian (
After spending two weeks investigating alleged administrative negligence regarding the recent oil spill in southern Taiwan, the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (
The commission also presented him with a related list of names of administrative officials.
But Chang will not make a final decision on any punishments until Thursday, according to the Cabinet's Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday.
"As for politically appointed officials (
According to reports, politically appointed officials at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, including EPA head Lin Jun-yi (林俊義), will be punished for their insufficient action on the case.
The measures taken by the commission yesterday were regarded as a positive response to attacks from the opposition parties, which have been critical of the government since the oil spill become a political issue in early February.
The spill, which occurred on Jan. 14 near the Lungkeng Ecological Conservation Preservation Area
The EPA, however, did not establish a Cabinet task force to address the spill until early February. At the time, environmental officials estimated that at least 1,150 tonnes of oil had been spilled.
On Feb. 10, the premier asked the commission to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the spill.
Meanwhile, the Control Yuan also began its own investigation and is considering censuring Cabinet officials.
The Control Yuan is continuing its probe, and today and tomorrow Control Yuan members will carry out a second field investigation to see if censure is necessary.
Some reports have said that Chen's criticism on Sunday indicated that a Cabinet reshuffle might be in the works.
Su Tzen-ping (
Environmental professors, however, said the environmental agency should not become the main target of punishment because the poor communication between Cabinet agencies was due to the transition of power.
According to officials from the environmental administration, requests were made to other agencies for help from the beginning, but these were ignored.
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
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
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)