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 (
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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