The scandal over the issuance of legal documents to the wife of fugitive murder suspect Andrew Wang (汪傳浦) claimed a high-profile victim yesterday, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Former representative to the US Chen Chien-jen (
Chen confirmed that the change was partly a result of the UK representative office's blunder in issuing a passport to a fugitive murder suspect's wife.
Chen's unexpected announcement came while he concluded a press conference announcing Taiwan's 12th bid to join the UN. Saying that the government will select a new EU representative, Chen added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) made the decision in order to overhaul its personnel in Europe.
The minister said the UK representative office's negligence in issuing a passport and legal documents to Yeh Hsiu-chen (葉秀貞), the wife of murder suspect Andrew Wang, made him realize that every detail of the country's diplomatic work affects society deeply.
Tien Hung-mao (
Tien was the foreign minister when the representative office in Geneva issued a notarization of a power of attorney for Wang in July 2001.
He was the representative to the UK and Chien was the foreign minister when the representative office in London issued another notarization of power of attorney for Wang in February last year.
Following the two incidents, the UK office ignored a list of Wang's family members provided by investigators and issued Yeh a new passport and documents allowing real estate transfers.
"The government is actively seeking a new representative to the EU. The public has high expectations of our diplomatic efforts, and the EU is quickly expanding. We shall have new thinking and a new direction for our diplomatic policy," Chen said.
"Chien's performance as a foreign minister has been outstanding. I believe he will have another opportunity to serve the government in the future," added the minister.
The minister denied the government's decision to revoke Chien's appointment as having anything to do with Chien's alleged role in the corruption-tainted sale of French Lafayette-class frigates to Taiwan in the 1990s.
Wang, a former arms dealer, has been wanted since September 2000 in connection with the murder of Navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (
Chen said he informed Chien of the ministry's decision personally.
"I told him about the decision in a brief phone call," he said.
Chien, when contacted by phone, told several reporters he knew nothing about the cancelation of his new posting before Chen announced it in the press conference. He declined to make further comments on the matter.
Senior ministry officials have said the ministry needs to send a new representative to the EU before the end of the summer.
Taiwan has arranged for about 8 million barrels of crude oil, or about one-third of its monthly needs, to be shipped from the Red Sea this month to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and ease domestic supply pressures, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) said yesterday. The state-run oil company has worked with Middle Eastern suppliers to secure routes other than the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes, CPC chairman Fang Jeng-zen (方振仁) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. Suppliers in Saudi Arabia have indicated they
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
CCP ‘PAWN’? Beijing could use the KMT chairwoman’s visit to signal to the world that many people in Taiwan support the ‘one China’ principle, an academic said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday arrived in China for a “peace” mission and potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), while a Taiwanese minister detailed the number of Chinese warships currently deployed around the nation. Cheng is visiting at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, as the opposition-dominated Legislative Yuan stalls a government plan for US$40 billion in extra defense spending. Speaking to reporters before going to the airport, Cheng said she was going on a “historic journey for peace,” but added that some people felt uneasy about her trip. “If you truly love Taiwan,
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
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