Facing imminent recall for approving the design of the nation’s newest passports, whose inner pages mistakenly feature a depiction of a US airport, Representative to Canada Kung Chung-chen (龔中誠) has protested the decision, saying he did not have the authority to make final decisions on issues regarding passports.
On Tuesday, a photograph was posted on Facebook showing inside pages of the new passport, in which the Bureau of Consular Affairs had mistakenly based an illustration on Washington Dulles International Airport instead of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
After acknowledging the mistake, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would recall passports issued since Monday, when they went into circulation, and would create a corrected batch.
Photo: Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada, provided by CNA
As part of the ministry’s punitive measures announced on Wednesday over the incident, Kung, the former director-general of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, has been recalled, while his successor at the bureau, Agnes Chen (陳華玉), was demoted to ministry counselor.
Kung on Wednesday told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) by telephone that he was informed of his reassignment early on Wednesday Canada time and was thoroughly shocked.
“I had no forewarning,” Kung said.
The passport’s design had not been authorized prior to his being tapped to be the nation’s envoy, he said, adding that the project had not been ready for production.
“Who do they think I am to make the final decision on the design?” Kung said, adding that such responsibility belonged to the foreign affairs minister.
The bureau simply delivers the opinions of agencies responsible for the design to those in charge, he said, adding that those actually involved were the design units and the bureau’s deputy director-general.
“How could I make the decision? Whoever made such allegations is entirely without a conscience,” Kung said.
Bureau Deputy Director-General Christine Tsai (蔡幼文) said that Kung oversaw the design of the passport as head of the agency from 2013 until he left for his current post in September last year, adding that he was the one responsible for approving the final design.
The disciplinary measures were cold and indiscriminate, Kung said, adding that he is mulling tendering his resignation after his scheduled return to Taiwan in February.
“I stand by my principles and remain the same upright man I was when I first began my civil service career more than 30 years ago,” Kung said.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the ministry’s punishments were disproportionate to the incident.
Former ambassador to Panama Jose Maria Liu (劉德立) remains the vice minister of foreign affairs, apparently surviving with no reprimand the unexpected break of diplomatic relations with Panama, despite the Latin American country switching recognition to Beijing months after Liu returned to Taiwan, the source said.
Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced the switch on June 12 in a televised address. The decision had left Taiwan with 20 diplomatic allies, 11 of which are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
By the same standard, recalling Kung from Canada is completely disproportionate, the source said.
Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) yesterday said the ministry’s decision regarding Kung’s recall has not changed.
The ministry issued a news release saying that Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) yesterday afternoon called Kung to explain the ministry’s handling of the case, adding that the atmosphere was “honest and friendly.”
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS