Vice Premier Yu Shyi-kun resigned yesterday and he will go down in the history books as the most short-lived vice premier in the history of Taiwan.
Born into a farmer's family, Yu is regarded as being an honest, simple and hard-working individual. He has said he never thought of becoming a politician before he became interested in the opposition movement.
Yu embraced politics when he was elected a member of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly (
Having served two terms as Ilan County Commissioner, Yu gained more administrative experience than anyone else in the DPP.
A brainchild of Yu's, the "Ilan experience (
Yu then became president of Taipei Rapid Transit Corp, and was appointed Secretary-General of the DPP.
His political career went smoothly and reached its peak when he took up office in the Executive Yuan.
During the presidential election in March, his strong connections with Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
Yu's cooperative spirit character led to his ability to bond with other DPP politicians, especially those who were the rising stars in party politics, Lin said.
"I was hired because I was out of work and going through a mid-life crisis," Yu said jokingly of himself when DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (
"Yu is obedient and tender in nature, which is a rare quality among DPP members," said Lee Wen-chung (
Yu has also been labeled by some as a perfectionist, a trait which many of his subordinates came to criticize.
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
PUBLIC WARNING: The two students had been tricked into going to Hong Kong for a ‘high-paying’ job, which sent them to a scam center in Cambodia Police warned the public not to trust job advertisements touting high pay abroad following the return of two college students over the weekend who had been trafficked and forced to work at a cyberscam center in Cambodia. The two victims, surnamed Lee (李), 18, and Lin (林), 19, were interviewed by police after landing in Taiwan on Saturday. Taichung’s Chingshui Police Precinct said in a statement yesterday that the two students are good friends, and Lin had suspended her studies after seeing the ad promising good pay to work in Hong Kong. Lee’s grandfather on Thursday reported to police that Lee had sent
A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-controlled island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said yesterday. When Philippine forces assessed that the Chinese fishing vessel appeared to have run aground in the shallows east of Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) on Saturday due to bad weather, Philippine military and coast guard personnel deployed to provide help, but later saw that the ship had been extricated, Philippine navy regional spokesperson Ellaine Rose Collado said. No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among