The National Security Council (NSC) yesterday dismissed a media report which claimed that it was deceiving the public about the departure of two council members.
In a strongly worded response, the council attacked the paper that published the report and said one of the departing council members was awaiting reassignment while the other was taking leave before officially quitting.
"The council is disappointed at a misleading report published by the China Times [yesterday]. We don't know whether they did not bother to double-check the facts or were unable to," the council said in a statement released yesterday.
The statement was made in response to a report run in yesterday's China Times, with a headline that read: "NSC deputy secretaries-general Parris Chang (
The story said Chang and Tsai still worked at the council even though the council announced on June 4 that they would be leaving their posts following the resignations of two of President Chen Shui-bian's (
However, the council did not say when the reshuffle would be made or whether Chang and Tsai would be given other posts.
The departures of Chang and Tsai came on the heels of the resignations of Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Ma Yung-cheng (
Ma and Lin resigned following Chen's announcement that he would curtail his responsibilities and delegate powers to Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Democratic Progressive Party officials.
The statement said that Chang had not yet officially left his post because he was waiting for a response from the country he has been assigned to in his new post.
It is an international precedent and common sense that all representatives assigned to a foreign country respect that country, the statement said.
"Apparently, the China Times is not willing to act responsibly and try to understand what is going on," the statement said.
Tsai, on the other hand, has turned down an offer of a new position, the statement said, and has begun taking leave due to him before he quits.
Tsai, who has served in the civil sector for 15 years, is entitled to 30 days of holiday, the statement said.
The statement criticized the paper as "not wanting to understand" or "not understanding" related regulations regarding leave before writing the report. The council said the paper should stop distorting the facts and misinforming the public.
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