The Ministry of Economic Affairs may punish more officials involved in the fiasco over structural flaws in the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, according to Cabinet spokesman Chuang Suo-hang (
"The punishments meted out last Friday were for those who are directly involved in the project. The ministry will make public its further handling of the matter in the near future, including the punishment of more officials," Chuang told reporters yesterday evening.
Reliable sources at the Cabinet told the Taipei Times yesterday that the chairman of the China Shipbuilding (中船) will step down soon.
On June 15, the ministry punished 22 officials of the two state-run firms responsible for the fiasco, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) and China Shipbuilding Corp. The officials were punished for allowing sloppy workmanship that resulted in structural defects in the reactor pedestal of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.
The China Shipbuilding Corp is responsible for constructing the plant's reactor pedestal.
The punishments -- in the form of demerits -- drew immediate criticism from both the media and the public because not a single high-ranking official was asked to step down.
Speculation is rife that Premier Yu Shyi-kun was unhappy with the punishments, which he reportedly considered too light. But Chuang yesterday dismissed the speculation.
"The premier totally respects the ministry's handling of the matter," he said.
Speculation was also rife that the punishments were light because some DPP lawmakers are involved in the project.
Chuang said the Cabinet respects the prosecutors' authority because the case has become a legal one.
On May 8, Taipower Chairman Lin Wen-yuan (
His resignation was later granted, but it was widely believed that Premier Yu, instead of the economics ministry, was behind the approval of Lin's resignation.
The power-rationing measure, which surprised those affected when it was announced, reduced power to about 2,000 companies, including those in the petrochemical, textile and electronics industries, after a late delivery of natural-gas supplies left Taipower unable to generate enough electricity.
The shortage came only weeks after Taipower declared that it would have ample electricity for the peak summer season, with electricity reserves at their highest levels in decades.
Chinese Petroleum's chairman, Chen Chao-wei (陳朝威), and Taipower President Lin Ching-chi (林清吉) also offered to resign. The Cabinet approved Chen's offer.
Chen offered his resignation over what he said was Chinese Petroleum's failure to provide natural gas to Taipower on time.
Chinese Petroleum reduced its gas supplies to Taipower, forcing the power company to abruptly cut electricity supplies.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV