With the election of a new president yesterday, the Cabinet will freeze all personnel changes until the presidential inauguration on May 20, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday.
The freeze will not only affect the appointment and transfer of civil servants, but will also cover political appointees as well as chairmen and board directors of state-owned enterprises, Chang said, after casting his vote at a polling station in Taipei.
Chang made the remarks in response to questions about the Cabinet's preparation for a transition of power.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Chang said the Cabinet would respect the public's choice and make sure that power was transferred peacefully to the new president.
He said that a peaceful poll would demonstrate the maturity of Taiwan's democracy and is something that Taiwanese should take pride in.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Presidential Office staffers said yesterday that Chen had asked Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday pledged loyalty to the new president-elect.
"I think the minister of defense made his intentions loud and clear when he spoke before the legislature a couple days ago," ministry spokeswoman Lisa Chi (
Chi repeated Minister of National Defense Michael Tsai's (
"The election has been incident free, so it isn't necessary for the minister make the pledge at the moment," she said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
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