The resignation request of Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) prompted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to make her first foreign affairs personnel assignment after her inauguration on Friday, with Representative to Italy Stanley Kao (高碩泰) reportedly having been tapped by the new government as the next representative to the US.
Tsai’s government will have to name representatives to the nation’s various overseas missions following a slew of resignations, which ostensibly occurred to allow the new administration greater latitude in its appointments.
Then-outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) approved the resignations of Representative to the UK Liu Chi-kung (劉志攻) on May 6; Representative to Japan Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳) on Monday last week; and Representative to Singapore Jacob Chang (張大同) and Representative to Latvia Gary Ko (葛光越) on Thursday.
Photo: CNA, provided by Taipei Representative Office in Italy
While Shen Lyu-shun had tendered his resignation on April 15 and applied for retirement, his resignation was not approved by Ma.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has forwarded the new administration’s request that Shen Lyu-shun make plans to return by next month to facilitate the transition to a new representative to the US.
Aside from Kao, it has been rumored that former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) is to be the new representative to Japan, while former minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) has been rumored to be the nation’s next representative to the UK.
The ministry said the list of representatives for the aforementioned countries has not yet been confirmed, adding that the new government would also have to designate a new representative to Australia, as Representative to Australia David Lee (李大維) has been appointed to be the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
‘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
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The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
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