The Presidential Office yesterday sternly rebutted media reports that Premier Yu Shyi-kun will be replaced by Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (
"The report, written in a speculative manner, is totally groundless in saying that President Chen [Shui-bian (陳水扁)] will replace the premier with Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang in February next year," the statement said.
Citing Chen's approval of the performance of Yu's Cabinet, the statement said that Chen supported and trusted Yu and that he had not considered replacing him. The statement said Chen was unhappy when he read the reports.
"Not only was the report untrue, it also misled the public, which affected the government and social stability," it said. "It is regrettable that [media reports] strayed from the responsibilities that the media should shoulder."
In response to questions from reporters about a story in a Chinese-language newspaper, Yu yesterday said he would respect any decision Chen made regarding his future.
"As it is the president's constitutional right to appoint the premier, I respect completely his decision on the matter," Yu told reporters.
Chen was reportedly angry with Yu because he felt the premier had upstaged him with his remarks during a recent visit to Honduras that "Taiwan, ROC" was the best title for the country.
Chen himself later said that the term would cause misunderstanding, and that the best abbreviated title for the country was "Taiwan."
Yu raised eyebrows again while defending the Cabinet's proposed NT$610.8 billion arms procurement package on Saturday, when he said the country should rely on a "balance of terror" to safeguard national security.
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A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
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