Premier-designate Cho announces new interior, transportation ministers

Taipei, April 12 (CNA) Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) will head the interior ministry and Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan Li Men-yen (李孟諺) will lead the transportation ministry in the incoming government, Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) announced Friday.

Cho, who was named by President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Wednesday as the future premier, made the announcement at a press conference in Taipei.

Liu, who will replace incumbent Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌), was first elected to the Legislature in December 2001 but she resigned after holding that post for five months to take up the job of the Cabinet's secretary-general in July 2002.

The 64-year-old, who has a chemical engineering background, was elected a legislator again in 2016 and served in that role for eight years.

From July 2006 to February 2007, Liu served as deputy secretary-general to then-President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), thus working side by side with Cho, who worked in the same position from January 2006 to October 2007.

Meanwhile, Lee, who has been the Cabinet's secretary-general since January 2019, will take up the post set to be left by outgoing Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材).

Lee, 57, headed Tainan's Water Resources Bureau from 2011 to 2016 when Lai was the city's mayor and, after Lai stepped down to take charge of the Cabinet in September 2017, he became acting Tainan mayor.

He graduated from National Chung Hsing University with a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering and boasts a master's degree in civil engineering from a university in the Netherlands.

Related News

April 12

● Premier-designate Cho reveals future appointees to major cabinet jobs

● New education, justice and culture ministers announced

● Li Yuan sees broad background as key to being named culture minister

April 11: Presidential aide Lin Chia-lung tipped to be Taiwan's new foreign minister

April 10

● President-elect Lai appoints ex-DPP chair Cho Jung-tai as premier

● New Cabinet to respond to domestic, global challenges: Lai

● Premier-designate still working on putting together new Cabinet