Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (
Tzeng dismissed Lin yesterday and offered him a position as councilor to the ministry. But Lin would not accept the demotion and said he would submit an application for retirement on Monday.
"To maintain the internal harmony of the ministry and facilitate the implementation of education reforms, I have decided to change the post of Vice Minister Lin, transferring him to the position of councilor," Tzeng said yesterday.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
In addition, the minister said he had reprimanded Vice Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (
Tzeng yesterday refused to comment on speculation concerning Lin's successor, only saying that the candidate should have a positive public image, be a good team player and be keen about education reforms.
The minister said he would make his decision soon.
Lin Yu-ti (
Lin, who learned of the minister's decision from reporters yesterday, said that he didn't intend to go back to his former job as councilor to the education ministry.
"I have worked as a councilor [to the ministry] before. [The minister's] new arrangements for me do not allow me any space to progress ? I am going to file an application for retirement on Monday," said the 63-year-old Lin, who has been on leave since the row with Fan began earlier this week.
Lin said he felt "carefree" after being relieved of his official duties after more than 40 years of service.
On Monday, the two vice ministers engaged in a war of words after Fan publicly insinuated that Lin was involved in the financial scandal surrounding the private Jin-Wen Institute of Technology (
Lin has come under suspicion because he lives in a villa in the Ta Hsueh Shih Hsiang (
Reports say Lin bought the residence in 1996 at an amount far below the market price.
Tzeng said that one reason why he replaced Lin instead of Fan was because Lin had failed to allay public apprehension as to his role in the financial scandal, despite his explanations.
In his defense, Lin said that the mere fact that he had purchased a home in the Ta Hsueh Shih Hsiang community did not mean he was guilty of wrongdoing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS