DEFENSE
Tsai names vice minister
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has appointed Po Hung-hui (柏鴻輝), deputy chief executive officer of the Institute for National Defense Security Research, as the new vice defense minister in charge of policy at the Ministry of National Defense. Po, a retired air force lieutenant general, graduated from the Republic of China Air Force Academy in 1981 and the Air Command and Staff College of National Defense University in 1994, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said in a statement on Friday. He has served as the head of Taiwan’s defense mission in the US, director of the Political Warfare Office at the Air Force Command, chief of the general staff of the Air Force Command, and administrative deputy minister at the ministry, Lo said. Po had been serving at the institute since he retired from the military in 2018, Lo added.
HEALTH
Vaccine parity for migrants
Migrant workers are to receive the same treatment as Taiwanese in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said on Friday. The representative offices of Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam issued a joint appeal on Tuesday last week for migrant workers to be added to the priority list of people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Ou said the ministry discussed the situation with the Central Epidemic Command Center on Friday last week. “We were told that migrant workers are not treated differently from Taiwanese nationals in principle,” she said, adding that the ministry would arrange for the representatives of the four countries and health officials to discuss the issue.
DIPLOMACY
Haiti ‘unlikely’ to switch ties
Ties between Taiwan and Haiti would remain solid, despite the political turmoil in Haiti following the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, a former Taiwanese ambassador to the Caribbean nation said. Asked whether Haiti could switch allegiance to China after the assassination on Wednesday, Yang Cheng-ta (楊承達), ambassador to Haiti from 2005 to 2008, said he believed that the interim government’s priority would be to bring stability to the country. Yang said he does not believe Beijing would try to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic ally amid the chaos that Haiti is in. Even if the Chinese government did succeed in lobbying the interim government to ditch Taipei, the question is whether the new Haitian government would follow through with that decision, he added. Most importantly, Yang said that relations between Taiwan and Haiti have remained strong for years, and all bilateral cooperation programs are running smoothly.
ENVIRONMENT
Wild animal rescues drop
The number of wild animals being rescued has dropped to a record low following the implementation of a level 3 COVID-19 alert, a nonprofit veterinary clinic affiliated with the Wild Bird Society of Taoyuan said. Compared with the 315 animal rescue calls from April 18 to May 18, the number of calls dropped by 81 to 234 from May 19 to the end of last month, the clinic said. The number of calls has dropped by more than 100 from the same period in previous years, it said. Veterinarian Wu Chia-ying (吳珈瑩) said most callers report roadkill, and with traffic reduced due to the alert, the number of roadkill calls has also decreased.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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