Former Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) was yesterday sworn in as secretary-general of the Presidential Office.
“I promise to give my best effort to help President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) govern the nation,” Chen said before she was sworn in by Tsai.
“It was a hard decision to leave Kaohsiung, but I believe that the team will duly accomplish their tasks before a new mayor takes the helm,” Chen said as she thanked Kaohsiung residents for their support over the past 11 years and four months.
Chen praised Tsai for her resolve to carry out reform at a time when the nation is facing huge challenges at home and abroad, and she urged the public to join the effort to create a better future.
“I will do my best to help the president in her mission to lead the nation on a path of sustained development and long-lasting security,” Chen said.
Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) referred to the new secretary-general as “our beloved and respected Sister Chu” and said she was a “fighter for democracy.”
He said he hoped Chen Chu would continue to defend Taiwanese values and help Tsai increase the nation’s competitiveness in a fiercely competitive global environment.
Chen Chu, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) veteran who had been serving as Kaohsiung mayor since 2006, had seven months to go before the end of her third term.
With her move to the Presidential Office, Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Hsu Li-ming Hsu Li-ming (許立民) has taken over as acting head of the local government until the nine-in-one local elections on Nov. 24.
Chen Chu denied speculation that she would run the campaign of former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who is expected to be formally nominated as the DPP’s New Taipei City mayoral candidate.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese