With Chief of the General Staff, General Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) having refused to fill the defense minister position, it appears increasingly likely that Taiwan's representative in Holland, ex-Navy Commander-in-Chief Ku Chung-lien (顧崇廉) will take the position, defense officials said yesterday.
The likelihood that Ku would become defense minister increased after President-elect Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that his main selection criteria is to keep a balance of power between the services.
Chen reportedly made the statement during a meeting with Ni Chang-yi (黎昌意), son of the ex-chief of the general staff (CGS), and with current strategic advisor to the President, Ni Yue-si (黎玉璽). Chen said he visited Ni to pay his respects and to seek advice from the retired admiral.
FILE PHOTO FROM THE LIBERTY TIMES.
Ni, 86, is the second naval general and former-CGS that Chen has visited since winning the presidential election on March 18.
Previously, Chen visited former naval leader and ex-CGS Liu Ho-chien (劉和謙), to whom Chen promised a place in the presidential office as a consultant.
Chen's visits to the two retired naval leaders were the only visits he made openly to former military leaders. Analysts say that this shows Chen's preference for the navy in his plans for armed forces development in the next four years.
Chen's desire to maintain a "balance of power" between the services would be met if he appoints Ku as the next defense minister. Chen has already settled arrangements for the air force and the army leadership by selecting Tang Fei (唐飛), from the air force, as premier, and by keeping incumbent CGS army General Tang Yao-ming in his current position.
A high-ranking official with the Ministry of National Defense (MND), who declined to be identified, said Chen also has personal reasons for choosing Ku for the defense minister post.
The two developed good relations seven years ago when Ku was vice defense minister and Chen was a lawmaker for the opposition DPP, the official said.
"The relations between the two got even better after Ku took over the command of the navy from Chuang Ming-yao (莊銘耀), who stepped down because of the murder of subordinate captain Ying Ching-feng (尹清楓)," the official said. "Ku often invited Chen, who then was Taipei mayor, to attend naval ceremonies as an honored guest, a move which aroused complaints from the conservative military leadership."
Although Chuang is also a possible candidate for defense minister, his chances are slim because the Yin murder case remains unsolved, the official said.
Su Chin-chiang (蘇進強), a military analyst at Nanhua University, said that if Chen appoints Ku as the new defense minister, there will be two main implications.
"First, Chen appreciates and trusts Ku's ability and willingness to negotiate with and listen to opinions of people outside the military. It is this same quality that he values in Tang Fei and both Tang and Ku will be able to help Chen implement the new Defense Law and Organization Law for the MND," Su said.
Second, "the move indicates a new direction for arms build-up in the future. Taiwan will need a stronger air force and navy. No other island country puts so much emphasis on the army as Taiwan does now," he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique