Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar, 台糖) chairman Wu Rong-ming (吳容明) unexpectedly tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), effective yesterday, just two months after taking the post on Sept. 1.
“Minister Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) is currently in Lima, Peru, at the APEC Summit, so we have not been informed of the news,” section chief at the MOEA’s department of secretariat Huang Hsien-lin (黃憲琳) said by telephone yesterday, adding the ministry was in the process of gaining a better understanding of the matter.
“At this sensitive moment, it would be imprudent for MOEA to issue any statement without the Minister present,” he added.
Liu Tsung-hsien (劉宗憲), chief of Taisugar’s public relations department, also voiced surprise, saying that he only found out about Wu’s resignation after reading the morning paper.
He added that Wu spent Monday afternoon in an executive meeting and showed no sign of his intentions.
Wu’s abrupt departure was reportedly triggered by pressure from Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung’s (江丙坤) desire to install his nephew Chen Ching-bin (陳清彬) as company president.
Chen is currently a company vice president and had been acting as interim president. Wu was reportedly considering candidates other than Chen for the presidency.
Asked if Chen would now assume the presidency as the ministry planned, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs John Deng (鄧振中) said yesterday that it was still undecided.
The labor union also said it wants Chen to be president.
In response, Chiang yesterday expressed regret over allegations that he had recommended the promotion of his nephew.
Chiang said that he never used his personal influence to sway the personnel decisions of Taisugar, while Wu had brought up the subject when Wu came to visit him at the SEF. Chiang said he told Wu that he had to consult with his nephew about his intentions and that he had not talked about it since because he was preoccupied with his meeting with Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
Chiang said his nephew had worked his way up to the position of the company’s deputy general manager and that he had never exercised influence in his nephew’s promotions during Chen’s 30 years at Taiwan Sugar.
Chiang emphasized that he had met Wu on only two occasions since Wu assumed his current position and that he had not talked to him since he met Wu at his office before the Chiang-Chen meeting.
Chiang made the remarks while attending a meeting of the business group Third Wednesday Club (三三會) in Taipei yesterday.
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
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
RSS