Former Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) chief Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) stressed that the agency's performance is professional at a farewell party thrown by staff members yesterday.
Hau submitted his resignation last Wednesday after Premier Yu Shyi-kun rejected his proposal to disallow referenda on projects if an environmental impact assessment had already been approved.
Hau spent the whole morning yesterday shaking hands with staff members on all 13 floors of the EPA headquarters to express his appreciation for their work.
Since Sept. 13, after an advisory referendum by residents of Pinglin Township, Taipei County indicated the desire of township, residents to have on- and off-ramps to and from Beiyi Freeway, Hau has reiterated the phrases: "public opinion should not be more important than professional opinions" and "the result of an advisory referendum should not overthrow that of an environmental impact assessment."
Yesterday, Hau seized one last chance to complement the EPA on its professionalism, but stuck to his guns.
"The EPA's outstanding performance recently is not because of me. It's of your professionalism," Hau said to the staff members and went on to imply that his policy position on referenda was not wrong.
Hau said that since handling an oil spill caused by the Greek tanker the MV Amorgos near Kenting National Park in January 2001, the EPA has tackled many environmental problems, including the clean-up of illegal dumps contaminated by toxic chemicals, air-pollution control in southern Taiwan, the treatment of polluted rivers and the elimination of the use of disposable utensils and free plastic shopping bags in most stores and eateries nationwide.
Hau said that all staff members are his brothers and sisters because they fought closely with him to face hardship such as dealing with public opposition and facing grillings in the legislature.
"We've demonstrated our resolution to enforce environmental laws with courage," Hau said sobbing.
EPA staff members hung banner reading "a gentlemen fears nothing" at the conference room to stress Hau's professionalism and persistence.
Deputy Administrator Chang Juu-en (
In response to questioning, Yu yesterday said he has not designated a replacement for Hau refusing to confirm media speculation.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be