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.
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
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
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
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