Government Information Office Minister Vanessa Shih (史亞平) yesterday rebutted a media report that said she had once sought a position in the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, but said she had sent a letter to the Presidential Office in response to a request for her resume.
Next Magazine reported that Shih had expressed her interest to then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to work for the government in late 2005 when she accompanied guests from Australia to a meeting with Chen in the capacity of the country’s deputy representative to Australia.
RUMORS
The magazine said Chen was in favor of employing Shih after she sent in her resume, but later scrapped the idea after the administration turned up negative rumors about Shih while assessing her appointment.
Shih yesterday said the report was untrue and had damaged her reputation.
At the meeting with Chen and the Australian visitors in 2005, the president asked about her work in Australia and requested that she send her resume to Presidential Office deputy secretary-general James Huang (黃志芳), Shih said.
NO THANKS
Shih said that after she returned to Australia she sent a letter to the Presidential Office explaining that she had decided to stay in Australia because Representative to Australia Lin Song-huann (林松煥) had been appointed only recently and might need her help.
Chen responded by saying that he respected her decision, Shih said, and she continued to work in Australia until October last year, when she was transferred back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
RSS