President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who doubles as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, announced more party appointments yesterday, naming vice presidential candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as the party's honorary chief adviser and former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun as chief adviser.
Chen also said that Yu's former special assistant, Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), would remain in his position.
Deputy Presidential Office Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), who will assume the position of DPP secretary-general, said the party's two deputy secretaries-general will be former Taipei City councilor and Su campaign office director Lan Shih-tsung (藍世聰) and Liu Chien-hsin (劉建忻), Yu's former special assistant and former deputy minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.
Chen, on his first visit to party headquarters since he assumed its chairmanship on Thursday, said he was simply playing a supporting role and that DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Arguing that cooperation between himself and Hsieh would create a win-win situation, Chen said he would like to lead the party to victory in the legislative elections in January and the presidential election in March.
He said he also hoped to see the party's referendum proposal on joining the UN under the name "Taiwan" succeed.
Chen said his role was that of a volunteer whose responsibility it is to unite the party and to serve as the "carrier of a sedan chair" to take its occupant where he wants to go.
On cooperation with the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), Chen said that he had some ideas about what the TSU wants and would work with the political ally to win the legislative elections.
Other appointments included DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
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
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
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
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by