The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced additional future Cabinet members after introducing the first eight names on Thursday, with Tainan City Government secretary-general Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) named as future Executive Yuan secretary-general and former Taoyuan deputy mayor Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) named as future minister of justice.
Chiu said the request came from president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
National Taiwan University professor Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝) has been asked to head the National Development Council, with Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), Tsai’s industrial policy convener, asked to serve as Chen Tain-jy’s deputy, premier-designate Lin Chuan (林全) announced yesterday afternoon.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsung, Taipei Times
Deputy Minister of Labor Kuo Fan-yu (郭芳煜) has been tapped for the ministry’s position and National Chung Hsing University professor Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) has been tapped as deputy minister of the Council of Agriculture, while former Pingtung County commissioner Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) has been asked to serve as minister of agriculture, Lin said.
Lin later said in a radio interview that Tsao accepted the appointment.
DPP Legislator-at-large Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) has been appointed as the Environmental Protection Agency director, while lawyer and environmental activist Thomas Chan (詹順貴) is to serve as his deputy, Lin added.
Lin also tapped DPP Legislator-at-large Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) for minister of culture, with Cheng saying that she was considering the offer.
Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) has been asked to head the Executive Yuan’s public construction commission, Lin said.
Meanwhile, sources said that Chen Mei-ling’s appointment as Executive Yuan secretary-general did not come as a surprise due to her capabilities and experience in the administrative branch.
Chen Mei-ling served as the Executive Yuan deputy secretary-general during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration and shared a cordial relationship with Tsai, the sources said, adding that with such a background, it was no surprise that Chen Mei-ling would be tapped to be a part of the central government.
Chen Mei-ling’s influence in Tainan can be seen from her nickname, “Shadow Mayor,” the sources said.
They also said that Chen Mei-ling’s assistance was notable for the success of Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), who had no prior experience in politics, adding that with Chen Mei-ling’s transfer to the central government, her vacancy in the city government would be hard to fill.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km