Acting Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) yesterday said that his top priority would be to deal with the challenges facing the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) following a deadly derailment of a Puyuma Express train on Oct. 21.
Wang yesterday officially became the acting minister following the resignation of former minister of transportation and communications Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) on Saturday last week.
Wu, who was in office for 141 days, is one of three Cabinet members whose resignations were approved by Premier William Lai (賴清德) after the Democratic Progressive Party suffered major losses in Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
In his final interview with the media as minister, Wu said that his next move would be to take a break and reflect on his shortcomings.
As the ministry’s employees bid him farewell with a round of applause, Wu bowed and encouraged them to press on and not let the public down.
Regarding the issues facing the TRA, Wang said that the agency has been in operation for 130 years and would soon undergo an organizational overhaul.
In the meantime, the agency would have to improve the maintenance of its facilities, he said.
The agency’s operational safety committee would be transformed into the operational safety department, a move that aims to regain the public’s trust in the agency, Wang said.
Half of the budget allocated from the Executive Yuan’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program would be used to improve the agency’s operational efficiency, he said.
It is critical that the agency make good use of the funding by itemizing problematic equipment, from pantographs, cables and railway tracks to automatic train protection systems and air compressors, he added.
Several mayors and county commissioners have begun reassessing the projects listed in the development program that are within their jurisdictions, Wang said, adding that construction projects must meet the needs and demands of local residents and that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is optimistic about the implementation of the program.
Asked about the family members of the derailment’s victims who have expressed dissatisfaction, particularly about the compensation offered by the agency, Wang said that they want to know the reason behind the derailment.
The agency would compensate the families based on precedent, he said.
Calling himself an “errand boy,” Wang said that as acting minister he would make sure that work at the ministry continues as it was, adding that the ministry has much more qualified individuals to assume the post of minister.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS