National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday called on the Ministry of Education to speedily ratify the election of its president-elect, Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) on the grounds that a review of its election process found no flaws.
Kuan, originally scheduled to be inaugurated on Feb 1, was accused of breaching research ethics, a conflict of interest with his holding an independent directorship with Taiwan Mobile Co and contravening the law by also holding a teaching position at the University of Xiamen.
The university’s presidential election committee complied with a ministry request in January following Kuan’s selection to reconvene and inform all members that Kuan was a Taiwan Mobile director, which it did on Jan. 31, the school said in a statement.
While Kuan’s candidacy application had not mentioned his Taiwan Mobile position, it would not have affected the committee’s final decision, the committee said in the statement.
The Jan. 31 meeting concluded that Kuan’s candidacy was correct, the committee added.
The committee complied with the ministry’s request in May to again review the election process, which it did and found no major flaws, the committee said.
The committee’s decision has been upheld by two university affairs meetings, and the ministry should approve Kuan as the school’s president as soon as possible, the statement said.
The university also said that it has yet to receive a reply to its decision in June to challenge the ministry in court.
However, Student Association director Wu Yi-jou (吳奕柔) criticized the university, saying that it never addressed the alleged illegalities that Kuan was accused of.
“We do not agree with the statement,” and the university should begin a new election process to seek another candidate to uphold students’ rights, Wu said.
Wu said that she has said several times that Kuan’s holding an outside job as an independent company director was illegal, adding that in the case of a conflict of interest between the candidate and committee members, the committee should abide by the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法).
She was referring to committee member Tsai Ming-hsing (蔡明興), who is a vice president of Taiwan Mobile.
The ministry has the authority to appoint a university’s president and National Taiwan University should abide by the ministry’s directive to restart the election process, she said.
Additional reporting by Wu Po-hsuan
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS