Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday appointed four new Cabinet members to join the DPP government, a move which he said was done to maintain political stability and stimulate economic development.
The four new Cabinet members chosen by the premier include New Party convener Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who replaces Lin Jun-yi (林俊義) as head of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA, 環保署); Hu Chin-piao (胡錦標), who leaves his position of minister without portfolio to replace Hsia Der-yu (夏德鈺) as chairman of the Atomic Energy Council (AEC, 原能會); and Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正), director of the institute of economics at Academia Sinica, who will fill the vacancy left by Hu Chin-piao.
Meanwhile, Vice President of National Chiao Tung University Wei Che-he (
Chang said that he had approved the resignation of Lin, the former head of the Environmental Protection Administration, because Lin insisted on taking responsibility for the delayed cleanup of a recent oil spill in southern Taiwan.
"However, I am impressed with Lin for setting a good example to all Cabinet members, since he was willing to shoulder all the political responsibility himself," Chang added, speaking at a press conference yesterday afternoon.
Chang also said Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Chu-lan (
In response, Yeh immediately returned to her post yesterday after several days of absence, saying that "I've decided to stay and I will do my best."
Even though the Cabinet decided to restart construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四) last month, after coming under pressure from the opposition, there has been much speculation that the Executive Yuan is seeking a way to reverse the decision.
The premier, therefore, was questioned by reporters over whether Hau, who has said he support the nuclear project, would be an obstacle to the Cabinet's possible plans to hold a referendum at the year's end.
Chang, however, denied this would be a problem, saying that "the decision of the plant's fate had been decided by the Cabinet. It won't be altered simply because of one man's opinion."
Chang denied media speculation that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) orchestrated the reshuffle.
Chang said the president fully respected his decision over the new Cabinet appointments.
Echoing Chang's remarks, secretary-general to the president Yu Shyi-kun also said that Chen met with Hau last Saturday after Chang had decided to recruit Hau into his Cabinet.
"The president is absolutely not involved in the Cabinet reshuffle. He only asked the premier to complete it as soon as possible and to find better replacements," Yu said yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle confirmed prior speculation that ministers responsible for economic or financial portfolios, including Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (林信義), Minister of Finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章), and Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development Chen Po-chih (陳博志), would not be dismissed.
In addition, Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (
"As Tzeng has said many times, I've never asked him to meet me in my office," Chang said. "Is it possible that I will fire him [without informing him first]?" Chang added at yesterday's press conference.
Chang also denied media speculation that Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
EUROPEAN TARGETS: The planned Munich center would support TSMC’s European customers to design high-performance, energy-efficient chips, an executive said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that it plans to launch a new research-and-development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, next quarter to assist customers with chip design. TSMC Europe president Paul de Bot made the announcement during a technology symposium in Amsterdam on Tuesday, the chipmaker said. The new Munich center would be the firm’s first chip designing center in Europe, it said. The chipmaker has set up a major R&D center at its base of operations in Hsinchu and plans to create a new one in the US to provide services for major US customers,
BEIJING’S ‘PAWN’: ‘We, as Chinese, should never forget our roots, history, culture,’ Want Want Holdings general manager Tsai Wang-ting said at a summit in China The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時媒體集團) for making comments at the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit that it said have damaged Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that it would investigate if the group had colluded with China in the matter and contravened cross-strait regulations. The council issued a statement after Want Want Holdings (旺旺集團有限公司) general manager Tsai Wang-ting (蔡旺庭), the third son of the group’s founder, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), said at the summit last week that the group originated in “Chinese Taiwan,” and has developed and prospered in “the motherland.” “We, as Chinese, should never
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying