Captain Lee Hsiao-hsing (李曉馨), the third female to command a Taiwanese navy ship, said earlier this week that the most effective way for a woman to survive in the male-dominated military is to learn how to communicate.
Lee, who was named commander of the Po Chiang patrol ship, is the vessel’s second female captain following Lin Mei-ching (林美菁), who took the post in 2010.
Pursuing a career in the military has always been Lee’s dream, the 33-year-old said, adding that she has always wanted to lead a different life than most other women.
Photo courtesy of ROC Navy Headquarters
Lee said that although she played sports at school, it took her a while to get to grips with the intensive physical training before she was able to compete with her male naval counterparts.
In the military, everyone has to follow orders without hesitation, but now society has become more open and people are allowed to have their own opinions, she said.
The only way to reach a consensus is through communication, she said, adding that seeking advise from senior staff is the key to earning respect in the military.
“Treating every soldier as a member of your own family can also build the strength of the team,” she said.
Commenting on the increasing number of female soldiers in the Taiwanese military, Lee said that “as long as a woman is devoted to her career, there will be no regret later in life.”
Hsieh Ai-chieh (謝艾潔), who in 2007 became the first female in Taiwan to be named captain of a naval vessel, applied for a land-based position last month in order to be closer to her family.
The Ministry of National Defense has reached its target of recruiting 799 women this year, with more than 890 women applying for posts as of last month.
Only 53.7 percent of the 14,512 target for men has been reached, with only 7,793 men volunteering, the ministry added.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS