Fifteen ministers and deputies are to change in the Cabinet reshuffle expected to be announced tomorrow, including the leaders of the National Development Council (NDC) and Ministry of Health and Welfare, sources said today.
Former Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research president and current Academia Sinica researcher Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) is set to lead the NDC, after the current chief, Liu Chin-ching (劉鏡清), resigned for health reasons, source said.
Yeh has extensive policy experience, having taken a leading role in establishing and evaluating government relief measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, they said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
In addition, National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) is to lead the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the sources said.
Shih has a background as a clinical physician and previously served as deputy health minister.
When former NHIA director-general Lee Po-chang (李伯璋) stepped down following a scandal, Shih took over the agency and performed well in the role, leading to the appointment, the sources said.
Several other Cabinet personnel changes were revealed on Friday last week, including Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Xavier Chang (張惇涵) replacing Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) as Executive Yuan secretary-general, while Kung is to replace Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), who resigned on Thursday last week.
Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-jing (林宜敬) would be promoted to lead the ministry, with current minister Huang Yen-nun (黃彥男) set to return to conducting research at Academia Sinica.
Taiwan Artificial Intelligence Academy Foundation secretary-general Hou Yi-hsiu (侯宜秀) is to serve as the new deputy minister, the sources said.
Overseas Community Affairs Council Deputy Minister Ruan Jhao-syong (阮昭雄) is to become Executive Yuan deputy secretary-general, they said.
Meanwhile, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) are expected to remain in their roles.
Two-time Olympic badminton champion Lee Yang (李洋) is rumored to be named the nation’s first-ever minister of sports when the new ministry opens on Sept. 9.
Sports Administration Director Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) and Taiwan Institute of Sports Science chief Huang Chi-huang (黃啟煌) are expected to serve as deputy ministers of sport.
Baseball star Chen Yi-hsin (陳義信) would also serve as deputy minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, sources said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
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