Senior DPP lawmaker Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), a likely candidate for Examination Yuan president, yesterday threw his weight behind fellow lawmaker Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) for the post.
Chang denied interest in the job and said that, if he were awarded the job, he fears he would be criticized for his involvement in an extramarital relationship.
The four-term lawmaker painted his marred marriage as a "tragic" product of history and expressed his desire to dodge any role that may subject his private life to public scrutiny.
"I would give Yao my whole-hearted support to head the Examination Yuan," Chang told reporters during an afternoon news conference. "I'm not interested in the position."
Sources close to President Chen Shui-bian (
It is up to the president to name the candidate, who must then be confirmed by the legislature before taking office. Chen is expected to announce his choice later this month.
Chang, who was jailed for eight years for taking part in an anti-government movement in the 1980s, allegedly asked the president to drop him from the list of potential candidates.
He said the imprisonment deeply wounded his relationship with his lawmaker wife, Hsu Jung-shu (
Chang, 64, who has been separated from Hsu for years, admitted to seeing a girlfriend, surnamed Lin.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
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Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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