The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislative caucus yesterday urged Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) to submit a self-review report on his COVID-19 prevention performance before he resigns to run for Taipei mayor.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Central Executive Committee yesterday nominated Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), as the party’s Taipei mayoral candidate.
TPP Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) said that about 20,000 to 30,000 local COVID-19 cases are still being reported every day, but Chen is “running away” from his job without finishing it, which was irresponsible.
Photo: CNA
Chen in a question-and-answer session at the legislature on April 18 said he would not considering running in the local elections until Taiwan’s COVID-19 situation eases, Tsai said.
Video footage of the session shows Chen saying: “I have not considered it [leaving his post for the election] yet,” and “I am not thinking about it.”
TPP Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) said the CECC under Chen’s leadership has made many bad decisions, such as failing to obtain vaccines, rapid test kits and oral antivirals in a timely manner, and letting many locally made Medigen COVID-19 vaccine doses expire.
Chen had said he would “bear the responsibility” for shortening quarantine for Taiwan-based airline crew members to “3+11,” which opposition parties have said caused a local COVID-19 outbreak last year, but he has not apologized and is now leaving his responsibilities behind, Chiu said.
TPP legislative caucus office director Chen Wan-hui (陳琬惠), who is running for Yilan County Commissioner, said of a local government head should be trustworthy, responsible and put people first.
She asked whether Chen Shih-chunghas these traits, as he has not attended recent daily CECC news briefings, even though many COVID-19 cases are being reported every day.
Citing Chen Shih-chung’s Facebook post on Sunday saying “when responsibility comes, I will bear it,” Chen Wan-hui said that the TPP has held many news conferences over the past two years pointing out the CECC’s problems, but the center and the ministry have ignored them.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
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