Deputy Minister of the Interior Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家淇) has been selected to assume the new post of Cabinet deputy secretary-general, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday, marking the third personnel adjustment at the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) in a month.
“Deputy Minister of the Interior Hsiao Chia-chi, who is an experienced public servant familiar with affairs concerning the ministry and the public, will take the new role of deputy secretary-general of the Executive Yuan,” it said in a press statement said. “He will serve as the premier’s right-hand man.”
The announcement was the third reshuffle to take place at the ministry in the past four weeks, following the removals of former Department of Household Registration director Hsieh Ai-ling (謝愛齡) and former minister of the interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) last month.
Yet while Hsieh and Lee were removed from their original positions, Hsiao has been promoted to take the new Cabinet position.
Asked yesterday whether Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) had called to ask him to take the new post, Hsiao said that it would be inappropriate for him to answer that question.
“I can only say that I have been mentally prepared to take the role for some time,” he said.
When asked if serving as the Cabinet’s deputy secretary-general would help prepare him to run in the 2018 Greater Taichung mayoral election, Hsiao said he wants to focus on his current duties, but “would not rule out the possibility of running in any election.”
“My new job as Cabinet deputy secretary-general be to help connect the Cabinet with local governments and legislators. It is a new challenge, but I will do the best I can and I am grateful for the promotion,” he said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost