Taipei City Government spokesman Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) yesterday denied a report that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) decision to reassign his chief of staff Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如) and appoint her as a municipal adviser was intended to please the pan-green camp.
Tsai was relieved from duty shortly after the third anniversary of Ko’s inauguration on Monday last week.
She has worked with Ko for more than 20 years starting when he was a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital.
After Liu confirmed the dismissal last week, Ko on Friday told reporters that it was only a rearrangement of duties.
As Tsai has a straightforward personality that might not be appropriate for handling external affairs, she would handle internal affairs at the city government, Ko said, adding that politics is not the only factor to be considered when deciding whether a person is suitable for a post.
The Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday reported that the arrangement was aimed at pleasing the pan-green camp in consideration of this year’s mayoral election, as Tsai’s outspoken personality was said to have offended many councilors.
Liu yesterday said the duties of municipal advisers would be separated into internal and external affairs, and Tsai would be handling meetings, documents and personnel evaluation at the city government.
The external affairs post remains vacant, Liu said, adding that people should not overinterpret the arrangement.
Tsai has been in charge of contacting and negotiating with external groups regarding city policies, Liu said, adding that after the arrangement she would no longer be contacting them.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RSS