Straits Exchange Foundation Vice Chairman Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐) yesterday accepted an offer to take charge of the Coast Guard Administration, the Cabinet said yesterday.
The 52-year-old Shi was appointed to his present position in 1998. He served as vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council between 1996 and 1997 and worked in the secretariat of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) from 1997 to 1998.
Other Cabinet appointments finalized yesterday include Shih Shou-chian (
Incoming Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) will also double up as minister without portfolio in charge of reviewing health bills and related projects. Chen, 40, obtained his master's degree from Taipei Medical College and has worked as a doctor at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
While Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (
"While the premier hopes to see Tsai, who is an outstanding female administrative officer, stay in the government and continue to serve the country, he will fully respect any decision made by the president because appointing the heads of cross-strait organizations, national defense agencies and diplomats is the duty of the president," Lin said.
Speculation is rife that Lin Bih-jaw (林碧炤), professor of international relations at National Chengchi University, will succeed Tsai if Chen Shui-bian and Yu are unable to persuade Tsai to stay.
With the premier scheduled to lead the Cabinet next Wednesday in a resignation en masse, as required, Lin Chia-lung said Yu hoped to finalize the new Cabinet line-up by the end of this week.
And while Chen Shui-bian will hand-pick the new defense minister and head of the Mainland Affairs Council, Lin Chia-lung said that Yu was still looking for a new head for the National Youth Commission and two more ministers without portfolio.
Chen Shui-bian has pledged that the new head of the National Youth Commission will be "the youngest person in the Cabinet," and preferably a woman under 35.
Lin Chia-lung said the premier had some candidates in mind but had not yet reached a decision.
There are seven ministers without portfolio in charge of reviewing bills across seven different fields. The other two positions relate to finance and the economy, culture, education and welfare.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
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