Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Luo Wen-chia (
Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
Earlier, it was reported that Changhua County Commissioner Wong Chin-chu (
It was not clear why the Cabinet announced that Wong had agreed to be minister of education.
Wong, 57, was a teacher for 18 years -- at elementary, junior and senior high schools -- and served as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker for nine years.
While some questioned Wong's qualifications, Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said that the education minister did not necessarily need to be a Nobel laureate or education expert.
Women were more sensitive and detail-oriented, he said, especially when dealing with such significant issues as education and culture.
According to Lin Chia-lung, Yu had offered her the post by telephone last Friday and received her in person on Saturday. Wong telephoned Yu late last night to accept the offer, he said.
Yu began to ask potential candidates for the new Cabinet about their interests yesterday. Vacant positions included the heads of the Ministry of Education, Council of Hakka Affairs and National Youth Commission.
"In addition to receiving incumbent Cabinet officials and listening to their personal wishes, the premier is asking potential Cabinet officials about their personal interests in some positions," Lin Chia-lung said. "While the process might take about seven to 10 days, we hope to finalize the new Cabinet line-up by May 5 or May 12."
Some positions such as justice minister will not change because the ministry is handling such "special tasks" as vote-buying and strengthening social security, Lin Chia-lung said.
He also revealed that Yu hoped to recruit more talented young blood to the Cabinet in such areas as economy, education, science, culture and social welfare.
Yu yesterday received Lin Fang-mei and DPP legislators Luo Wen-chia (
Lin Fang-mei told a press conference yesterday afternoon that Yu received her yesterday afternoon to ask her about her future plans.
"I told the premier that I don't own the position at the National Youth Commission because it's not my personal asset," she said. "I feel more like the foreman of a construction site and it's time for me to go when the project is done."
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost