President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) bank deposits have decreased by about NT$900,000 (US$28,125) over the past year, according to a special report on the assets of public figures released on Friday.
The Control Yuan reported that the president had NT$246,571 in cash, up from NT$134,246 last May, but that his bank deposits had decreased from NT$66.88 million to NT$65.98 million.
Ma also declared owning marketable securities worth NT$242,286 in the latest report, which also showed the first couple’s newly declared assets of NT$4.91 million in insurance policies and dividends.
The Control Yuan publication on property or assets declared by public functionaries, recently renamed the “Clean Politics Report,” had only been published a few times a year in the past, but will now be issued once a month.
Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said Ma’s decreased bank deposits were mainly used to finance living expenses and to make charitable donations.
There were few significant changes in Vice President Vincent Siew’s (蕭萬長) assets, with his securities increasing to NT$3.78 million from NT$2.89 million. Siew’s wife Susan Chu (朱俶賢) also declared NT$9.4 million in life insurance policies.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) declared ownership of two plots of land and one house. He declared bank deposits of NT$18.7 million, NT$5.42 million less than in November 2008 when he was a lawmaker. Wu’s wife declared NT$10.99 million in life insurance policies.
Former vice premier Eric Chu (朱立倫), who stepped down as vice premier earlier this month in prepare his bid to run in the Sinbei City special municipality election later this year, declared ownership of NT$25.82 million in bank deposits and NT$60.09 million in securities.
Chu has also put 10 plots of land, two buildings and securities worth NT$2.85 million into a trust, according to the latest Control Yuan report.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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