New Air Force Commanding General Yen Ming (嚴明) assumed his post yesterday after his predecessor was demoted a day earlier regarding the misuse of public resources for private purposes.
Yen accepted the official seal of his post from Chief of the General Staff Lin Chen-yi (林鎮夷) at a changeover ceremony held at the air force’s general headquarters in Taipei.
Yen succeeds General Lei Yu-chi (雷玉其), who has been demoted to the post of deputy chief of the General Staff in charge of Air Force affairs after media reports said two days earlier that military personnel had been enlisted to serve as ushers at his son’s wedding banquet, raising questions about a possible misuse of public resources.
The reports caught the attention of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who immediately instructed the Ministry of National Defense to respond to the issue quickly and efficiently.
In a rare move, the ministry demoted Lei on Thursday and named Yen, originally a deputy chief of the General Staff, to assume Lei’s position.
Speaking at the ceremony yesterday, Lin exhorted Yen to fulfill his mission of upgrading the air force’s combat prowess and building the service into a modern, professional combat force to defend the nation’s security.
A graduate of the Republic of China Air Force Academy, Yen has worked his way up through the ranks of the air force, having served as a wing chief, an academy president, a chief of staff and a deputy commanding general.
He was promoted to the rank of general in October 2008, making him the first military officer to be promoted to the rank of general since Ma assumed the presidency.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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