Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) office yesterday announced that he had accepted an invitation to attend this year’s World Chinese Economic Summit in Malaysia, adding that an application for the trip would be submitted to the Presidential Office in due time.
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Ma’s office said that he has agreed to attend the summit, which is to take place on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 in Malacca, Malaysia.
“During his planned trip, Ma is also scheduled to give a speech at Malaysia’s Southern University College. Planning is still under way for the trip and Ma will file a request within the required time with the Presidential Office to leave the country,” Ma’s office said.
Asked how many days the former head of state plans on staying in Malaysia, Ma’s office did not give a specific answer, saying only that things are still being planned.
It is the second time that Ma has planned to travel overseas since leaving office on May 20.
Ma was forced to cancel his first such plan, a one-day trip to Hong Kong to attend the Society of Publishers in Asia’s Awards for Editorial Excellence ceremony on June 15.
The Presidential Office denied his request to leave the country three days before his scheduled departure.
The Presidential Office said it made the decision due to national security concerns and the highly sensitive nature of the destination.
According to Article 26 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), people who exercise the original classification authority, handle classified information within the scope of their official duty, retire or resign from the official positions mentioned in the act, or have handled the transfer of classified information within three years should obtain prior approval before leaving Taiwan.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) yesterday said that the office was yet to receive an application from Ma, adding that it would process it prudently and in accordance with regulations.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
RSS