Outgoing representative to the EU Chen Chien-jen (
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) confirmed a few days ago that Chen would retire from his post soon, but did not disclose the name of his successor.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) has been tipped as Chen's replacement, according to media reports.
Delayed retirement
Chen told the Central News Agency that he had planned to retire in 2000 and again in 2004, but opted to prioritize national interests over his personal plans after President Chen Shui-bian (
"There was a feeling of regret in my heart that I could not live a carefree life," Chen Chien-jen said.
"This feeling will be made up for now that my public service career will soon come to an end," he said.
The diplomat, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party(KMT) who previously served as minister of foreign affairs when the party was in power, was appointed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government as the country's representative to the US in 2000.
He had intended to retire when he stepped down from that post in 2004, but later accepted the appointment of EU representative.
On the most unforgettable event of his foreign service career, Chen Chien-jen said it would be hard for him to forget the process of bilateral talks with the US government after the severance of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the US.
However, being able to participate in the establishment of diplomatic relations with Nicaragua and Palau were pleasant experiences, he went on.
WHO participation
As for the government's bids to participate in the WHO, Chen noted that the idea was first put forward 10 years ago when he was vice minister of foreign affairs.
With Taiwan's efforts over the past 10 years and the importance of including Taiwan in the WHO having been highlighted by the outbreaks of SARS and bird flu, there should be progress this year in promoting the bid, Chen Chien-jen predicted.
Chen said he was thinking about writing his memoirs and releasing a CD that he recorded in the 1990s of him singing Mandarin, Taiwanese and English songs.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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