Two top national security officials — Military Police commander Lieutenant General Wu Ying-ping (吳應平) and the National Security Bureau’s Special Service Center deputy commander, Lieutenant General Hsu Chang (許昌) — will be leaving their posts less than four months before the presidential and legislative elections, a government source said.
Wu is to reach the legal age of retirement by the end of the year, and since it would coincide with the peak time for security assignments related to the Jan. 16 elections, the government has arranged for his early retirement at the end of the month to minimize its impact on national security, the source said.
The source added that given Wu’s excellent contribution as Military Police commander over the past three-and-a-half years, he is to be assigned to another post after retirement.
The source did not specify what the new appointment would be.
The source added that to find somebody who can fill the vacancy and “get on the job as soon as possible,” Hsu is considered to be the best candidate.
The Special Service Center is headed by the National Security Bureau director-general, who is assisted by two deputy commanders. One of the deputy commanders is the Presidential Office security chief and the other a specially appointed person. Given the two other officers’ concomitant positions, the specially appointed deputy commander — in this case, Hsu — is the de facto head of the Special Service Center.
After Hsu is appointed to take over the post of Military Police commander, National Security Bureau Director-General Yang Kuo-chiang (楊國強) will have to recommend another candidate to fill the position he is leaving.
The center has set up four teams and a training program for security missions for the presidential election.
The official presidential candidate registration is to take place from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27, and the bureau will take over the security maintenance for the candidates immediately following the registration until a day after the elections.
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