Outgoing Secretary General of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Loh Ping-cheung (
"I can assure you that the way the institutions are structured, it's impossible for the fund to do anything that violates the foreign ministry's policy," Loh said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Loh made the remarks in an address at the organization's five-year anniversary celebration, which was viewed by some as Loh's farewell speech.
Quieting Speculation
Loh resigned on June 19 amid speculation the move was trig-gered by his longstanding disagreement with the ministry over the evaluation and implementation of foreign aid and development projects.
Loh, who worked for the World Bank from 1964 to 1996, said that he believes that he has "left some legacies" which he said can serve as "paradigms" for the organization.
In an apparent move to dismiss charges made by foreign ministry officials that the fund under Loh ignored Taiwan's foreign policy considerations, Loh said the ICDF consulted overseas offices regarding aid projects.
"The fund has carried out the three-year foreign assistance rolling core program which requires the foreign ministry to have three-years notice before a project is implemented.
"Taiwan's embassies and overseas representative offices offer their input on every project [under the ICDF]," Loh said.
`No way' was there a violation
"Any of the fund's activities that are outside the rolling core program and that require financial support require approval from the foreign ministry.
"This is a system that I've established and there is no way that I would violate such an operation," Loh told reporters after the ceremony.
Loh said Taiwan's development in areas such as agricultural transformation and small-and-medium enterprises have become yardsticks for the fund's foreign aid programs.
The fund also tried to use its limited resources as efficiently as possible when carrying out foreign aid projects, Loh said.
A `great loss'
Some staffers at the fund regretted Loh's resignation, saying his absence from the five-year-old organization is a "great loss" for the institution.
Ko Yu-chin (
When asked by the Taipei Times to respond to the allegations against him, Loh said: "I am not at the same level as those who have a problem with me. I am above that."
Macedonia link?
The immediate cause of Loh's resignation, some media have claimed, is related to the handling of shaky Taiwan-Macedonia ties in early June.
Loh had reportedly proposed offering Macedonia a so-called "peace fund" to help reconstruct the crisis-torn Balkan state as a last-ditch effort to maintain ties with the country.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Katharine Chang (張小月), however, immediately denied the proposal was related to Macedonia, saying the idea was still in its infancy and was "purely a product of some people within the fund."
Loh will go on leave this Friday until his resignation is formally approved by the fund's board of directors at a meeting scheduled for July 25, sources said.
The Tourism Administration yesterday announced that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 to boost inbound tourism. The incentives are available to all international tourists, it said, adding that repeat visitors would be rewarded with NT$5,000 and would receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions. The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 percent increase from the same period last year, agency data showed. Japanese nationals are among groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 12
66 FIGHTER JETS: The aircraft is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan — a significant step forward in the nation’s modernization program, a lawmaker said The first of Taiwan’s order of F-16V Block 70 aircraft has been sighted in Texas ahead of delivery, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft, tail number 6831, was seen flying from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, Wang wrote on Facebook yesterday. The plane is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan, marking a significant step forward in the Republic of China Air Force’s modernization program, Wang said, citing military analysts. The F-16V Block 70 is a new-build version
‘BRAZEN’: The holiday did not stop China from activities that infringe on Taiwan’s maritime jurisdiction, but the CGA is ready to defend the nation, Kuan Bi-ling said Beijing is intensifying maritime pressure on Taiwan, but the nation will never yield, Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en (宋承恩) said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has adopted a “shadowing and monitoring” approach to avoid falling into a Chinese trap to escalate tensions and deepen the conflict, Sung said in an interview published yesterday in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). China Coast Guard formations patrolling waters east of Taiwan, as well as official Chinese vessels entering areas around Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) show Beijing’s attempts to significantly step up
BOOST: By operating the same advanced systems as the US military, Taiwan would be better positioned to share and integrate intelligence with partners, an expert said The first batch of MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones has arrived in Taiwan, and is being assembled and tested by drone manufacturer General Atomics and the military ahead of flight trials as part of the air force’s acquisition to bolster its aerial surveillance capabilities, a source said yesterday. The air force allocated a budget of NT$21.7 billion (US$687 million) from 2022 to 2029 to procure four MQ-9B uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by General Atomics along with associated equipment such as ground control stations. The US has agreed to deliver the four MQ-9Bs to Taiwan in two batches this year and next
RSS