Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) is scheduled to give an oral administrative report to the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday when the legislature begins its new session.
This will be Su's first report to the legislature since assuming his post on Jan. 25.
A copy of Su's administrative report for this year has already been sent to the legislature Friday. In an attempt to avoid distorted news coverage of his administrative policies, detailed information of the report was also sent to the press ahead of Tuesday's presentation.
Since taking office, Su has seemed to take to heart the saying "actions speak louder than words," at least as far as media policy.
Usually, incoming premiers meet the press within the first week or so in office and accept interview invitations from various news outlets. But Su and his deputy Tsai Ing-wen (
Su's report contains few surprises or bold new initiatives. Perhaps most noteworthy is Su's request that his fellow government officials make public their personal assets to avoid any potential bribery allegations -- an apparent effort to bolster the Democratic Progressive Party government's image, which has been tainted by several corruption scandals.
According to the written administrative report, Su will basically follow former premier Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) policies in the interior and homeland security portfolios, proceeding with the issuing of newly-designed photo identification cards. The government will also emphasize the importance of rescue mechanisms for potential natural disasters and prevention of environmental pollution.
For foreign affairs, the report said Taiwan will work to increase contacts and communications with more foreign states, and push on with Taiwan's bids to participate in international bodies.
Regarding cross-strait relations, the report said that it will follow President Chen Shui-bian's (
The government will continue to press the legislature to approve its plan to buy submarines, Patriot anti-missile batteries and anti-submarine P-3C helicopters from the US. It will also work to replace current military service mechanisms with more career and professional military personnel, and any project or research on developing military weapons will be encouraged and supported, according to the report.
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
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
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai