Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) on Tuesday agreed to take up the post of Presidential Office secretary-general, a source close to the matter said, adding that Chen would assume office by the end of the month.
The office is to confirm the appointment after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) returns from an official visit to Swaziland this month, the source said.
The source, a prominent member of the pan-green camp, said that Chen is expected to act as a “barrel hoop” that will tie everyone in the office together.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
“Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) once referred to Chen as ‘sister Chu,’ which she found shocking,” the source said, adding that Chen was humbled by the reference.
“Being addressed in this way shows there is a great deal of respect for Chen” within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the source said.
Upon hearing news of the appointment, several DPP members expressed approval, with some saying that they feel Chen demonstrates a clear sense of responsibility toward the nation.
Asked about the rumored appointment, Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said: “The president holds the position [of office secretary-general] in high regard. When the appointment is finalized, there will be a formal announcement.”
Asked for comment, Chen told reporters: “You will need to ask the Presidential Office. If there is any new information, there will definitely be a formal announcement.”
Chen on Monday spoke at a news conference announcing Kaohsiung’s successful bid to host the 10th annual International e-Sports Federation competition in November. Reporters at the news conference seized the opportunity to ask Chen about the appointment.
“A soldier does not have the right to choose their battlefield, they go where they are needed,” she said, adding that she would do what is necessary for the nation’s development, as well as the needs of the party.
DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said that Chen and Tsai get along “like sisters,” adding that Chen is highly trusted by the president.
Chen is able to help Tsai with issues she would prefer not to deal with, particularly in areas involving interpersonal affairs, Lai said.
Chen is also able to be very direct with Tsai, he said, adding that this would be helpful to the administration.
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
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