The new heads of the National Police and Fire Administrations took office yesterday.
Wang Jinn-wang (
The two replace Ting Yuan-jinn (
Premier Tang Fei (
After the ceremony concluded, Wang, previously the head of Taipei's municipal police department, held a press conference to announce his blueprint for running the nation's police.
"We will establish a service-oriented concept," Wang said. "Citizens' minor matters will be regarded as major matters for the police. Police officers will treat citizens as customers and aim to offer the highest quality of service."
Wang also vowed to work toward Tang Fei's goal of "sweeping away black gold and establishing a safe and just society."
He identified as crucial tasks the improvement of criminal investigations and crime prevention efforts, minimizing juvenile delinquency, ensuring the safety of women and children and ensuring traffic safety.
Wang, 53, is the youngest ever director-general of the National Police Administration.
In the past five years, the holder of the position of top cop has changed four times -- almost always under a cloud of controversy.
Yen Shih-hsi (
Yao Kao-chiao (姚高橋) succeeded Yen but stepped down ten months later due to the kidnapping and murder of Pai Hsiao-yen (白曉燕), the daughter of popular TV star Pai Ping-ping (白冰冰).
Yao had come under fire for the failure of the police to stop the continuous crime spree by Pai's three fugitive murderers and for a cover-up of another kidnapping by the trio. Ting succeeded Yao in August 1997 and served for three years before quitting to shoulder responsibility for the Pachang Creek incident.
Chao, the new director-general of the National Fire Administration, last served as director of the now defunct Taiwan Provincial Fire Department. He came out of retirement to take the post.
Chao is widely seen by media as close to People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), and his assignment to the new post has been interpreted as part of an effort by the government to seek political balance.
Also in yesterday's ceremony, Chu Cheng-ming (朱拯民), previously secretary-general of the national police administration, replaced Hsieh Jui-chi (
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
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
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
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