In a surprise move on Friday, Presidential Office chief of security Huo Li-ching (霍立青) was relieved of his job, allegedly due to indiscretions, inappropriate social activities and rumored membership of a major triad gang.
Huo, 55, had held the post of “chief aide-de-camp to the president” (侍衛長) since Aug. 1.
The Presidential Office said that his dismissal was related to “issues of internal management.”
Huo is to be replaced by Lieutenant General Pan Chin-lung (潘進隆), a counselor for the Ministry of National Defense, effective yesterday, the Presidential Office said.
Pan, 56, a former Marine Corps commander, had formerly served as deputy chief of staff at the Navy Command Headquarters.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) quoted military sources in its report as saying that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made the decision himself, as Huo was suspected of leaking details of a private conversation of Ma’s with first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青).
The conversations allegedly revolved around Chow’s worries of bad public perception and her personal safety in the aftermath of the elections, and her advising Ma to resign as chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The report also alleged Huo attended banquets in the company of business tycoons, shady figures and retired military officials who made visits to China.
The Chinese-language United Evening News yesterday further alleged in a report that Huo’s removal from the post was due to his involvement in the “Green Gang” (青幫), a major triad with extensive networks throughout the Chinese world.
The “Green Gang” originated in China’s Shanghai in the early 20th century, and became a major criminal organization under Shanghai underworld boss Du Yuesheng’s (杜月笙) leadership.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-kuang
A strong continental cold air mass and abundant moisture bringing snow to mountains 3,000m and higher over the past few days are a reminder that more than 60 years ago Taiwan had an outdoor ski resort that gradually disappeared in part due to climate change. On Oct. 24, 2021, the National Development Council posted a series of photographs on Facebook recounting the days when Taiwan had a ski resort on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County. More than 60 years ago, when developing a branch of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the government discovered that Hehuanshan, with an elevation of more than 3,100m,
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
RSS