Appointed government officials should concentrate on their own work rather than stump for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) election candidates, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) said yesterday.
Chen said the "stumping mechanism" will only be activated after next month.
The next legislative elections will adopt a new "single-member constituency, two votes" electoral system and the legislature will also be streamlined by halving the number of legislators to 113.
Chen said Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) has instructed him to study a stumping mechanism for appointed government officials, adding that he will only work on the mechanism in the latter half of next month.
He said the present emphasis for officials will be to push for better administrative performance, as well as to work in tune with the screening of bills in the legislature, adding that good Cabinet performance will be the best campaign tactic for the DPP.
Responding to reports by the United Daily News that the stumping mechanism will be activated after Oct. 10, he said it would be impossible to achieve this so soon.
Chen noted that the legislature began its new session early this month and that the Executive Yuan has to give administrative reports to the Legislative Yuan, while Cabinet officials also have to go to the legislature to answer questions from lawmakers.
In the past, the legislature has gone into recess one month ahead of the elections to allow lawmakers to go back to their constituencies to prepare.
Chen also denied reports that the Executive Yuan has earmarked officials perceived to be good orators -- Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Government Information Office Minister Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) and Council of Agriculture Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), to be the main stumping campaigners for DPP candidates.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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