TAIWAN'S NEW GOVERNMENT INFORMATION OFFICE DIRECTOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 001145

SIPDIS

DEPT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON
DEPT FOR EAP/RSP/TC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015
TAGS: PGOV PINR TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S NEW GOVERNMENT INFORMATION OFFICE DIRECTOR

Classified By: ROBERT W. FORDEN, AIT KAOHSIUNG PRINCIPAL OFFICER.
REASON: 1.4(B/D).


1. (C) Summary: The appointment of Yao Wen-chi (aka Pasuya
Yao) to be Taiwan,s new Government Information Office (GIO)
Director represents another move by Premier Frank Hsieh to
position his long-time aides in key EY positions. Yao is a
long-time AIT/K contact and previously served as Kaohsiung
City Deputy Secretary General and Director of the Kaohsiung
City Information Department under then-Mayor Frank Hsieh.
Serving effectively as Taiwan Government Spokesman, Yao is
expected to be a close advisor to Premier Hsieh with whom Yao
has been closely associated since Hsieh,s days as a
legislator. End Summary.


2. (C) The appointment of Yao Wen-chi as GIO Director General
marks the rise of another protege of Premier Hsieh to a key
Executive Yuan (EY) position, as Hsieh moves to build his
team in the EY. Yao,s relationship with Hsieh goes back
over a decade when Yao served first as a campaign assistant
and then as Hsieh,s legislative aide from 1994-8. Prior to
that Yao had worked five years for Liberty Times as a
reporter and copy editor. During his time as Hsieh,s
legislative aide, Yao also served on Hsieh,s campaign staff
in Hsieh,s 1996 failed run for Vice President with DPP
Presidential candidate Peng Ming-min. In 1998, Yao followed
Frank Hsieh to Kaohsiung where he helped Hsieh win as
Kaohsiung Mayor.


3. (C) Yao served as Director of the Kaohsiung City
Information Department under Hsieh from 1998-2000 and then
moved up to serve as Kaohsiung Deputy Secretary General soon
thereafter. After Hsieh began to take heat over rumors that
Yao had been involved in illegal solicitation of funds for
pet projects of Hsieh and/or had retained some of the funds
for his personal use, Yao resigned from the City Government
to &pursue study abroad.8 Frank Hsieh later denounced the
accusations against Yao asserting that a thorough
investigation had proven them groundless. Rather than
pursuing his studies, however, Yao moved to Taipei and took a
position as General Manager of the Taiwan Television Culture
Company, a subsidiary of one Taiwan,s largest television
networks, TTV.


4. (C) Born December 4, 1965, in Hsinchu, Yao Wen-chi has an
M.A. in Political Science from National Cheng Chi University
and a B.A. in Mass Communications from Fu Jen Catholic
University. During Yao,s recent work with Taiwan
aborigines, he adopted an aboriginal name, &Pasuya8, which
he now uses as his &English8 name as well. He is
considered by many to be attractive and is very tall by
Taiwan standards ) around six feet tall. He has a gentle
and friendly personality that comes across well. AIT/K
nominated successfully Yao for AIT,s International Visitor
program in 2000, but Yao was forced to cancel his program due
to schedule problems.


5. (C) Comment: Yao,s appointment is another in a series
of moves Premier Hsieh has made and is planning to make to
position his longtime close advisors into key positions
within the EY staff. Yao, a relatively youthful 40 years
old, is also typical of many of Hsieh,s proteges; Hsieh
makes a point of cultivating young, well-educated and loyal
advisors which he places in key positions to ensure effective
control of the bureaucracy and ensure good information about
issues emerging in each portfolio. It was a style that
served him well in Kaohsiung and which he appears to be
repeating. Should Hsieh succeed in what most expect will be
a run for Taiwan president in four years, many of the same
young advisors can be expected to rise to even more important
positions.

FORDEN

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