NEW TAIWAN PREMIER BRINGS STAFF FROM KAOHSIUNG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000429

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/RSP/TC
DEPT PASS AIT/W
/
FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV PINR TW
SUBJECT: NEW TAIWAN PREMIER BRINGS STAFF FROM KAOHSIUNG

REF: TAIPEI 332

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


1. (C) Aides to newly-appointed Taiwan Premier Frank Hsieh
told AIT/K Hsieh will move slowly and with caution in making
cabinet changes as well as in assembling personal staff.
Hsieh has, however, already named several aides from the
Kaohsiung City Government to new positions on his personal
staff or in the central government, and several other such
appointments are expected soon. Hsieh is following an
approach he used when he served as Kaohsiung Mayor, moving
carefully to place close advisors in key deputy and advisory
positions first, either to provide them a transition period
before moving them upward, or to provide a better
understanding of the internal dynamics of each agency before
making changes in agency or ministry leadership. Hsieh also
emphasized in remarks at a farewell party on January 31 in
Kaohsiung that he was leaving some positions, especially that
of Vice Premier, open to allow for possible compromise with
the opposition.


2. (C) As of February 1, Hsieh had announced appointment of
three key aides from Kaohsiung to serve in new positions:

-- Lin Yung-chien, currently Kaohsiung Vice Mayor, will be
appointed Vice Minister of the Interior. Born in 1954 in
Tainan County, Lin was a pharmacist by profession, before
serving as a campaign and staff aide to then-DPP LY member
Chang Chun-hsiung in the 1980's, and Kaohsiung DPP Chairman
1990-94. Elected to Kaohsiung's City Council in 1994, he
served there until Hsieh appointed him Deputy Mayor. Hsieh
relied on Lin to help him work local political powerbrokers
and overcome difficulties with the opposition-controlled
Kaohsiung City Council. Lin had hoped to be appointed Acting
Mayor and to succeed Hsieh, but failed when the position was
given to Chen Chi-mai, who is a protege of President Chen.
Well-known to AIT/K, Lin speaks little English and, other
than a three-week summer course in administration at Harvard
that AIT helped Lin arrange, he has spent little time
overseas. Lin is married with three children. In his new
position, Lin will likely serve as one of Hsieh's "inside
men" providing Hsieh with direct intelligence on issues
related to law enforcement and other key interior functions.

-- Lin Yao-wen, currently Kaohsiung City Information
Department Director, has been appointed as Hsieh's Chief of
Staff. Lin, who is only 29 years old, has been a close aide
to Hsieh since joining while in college the "New Culture
Youth Corp" organized by Hsieh in the early 1990's. At
Hsieh's direction, Lin also served as a campaign aide to DPP
Chairman Su Tseng-chang, in Su's bid for Taipei County
Magistrate. Born into a wealthy family in Hsinchu in 1976,
Lin has a B.A. in Public Affairs from Tamshui University.
Lin is married to former beauty-pageant contestant Wu
Hsiao-ching and has an infant son. Lin is well-known to
AIT/K and is scheduled to participate in the International
Visitor Program this summer. He speaks little English and
his overseas experience has been mainly limited to
accompanying Hsieh on official trips. In his new position,
Lin will likely control Hsieh's schedule and will serve as
Hsieh's key advisor on media relations.

-- Chang Chun-yen, currently Kaohsiung City Secretary
General, has been named as the new Director of Personnel for
the Executive Yuan (EY). Hsieh's selection of Chang
surprised many as Chang has not been seen as close to Hsieh.
Chang is a career government official, spending the last 11
years in various positions in the Kaohsiung City Government,
starting under Hsieh's predecessor, KMT Mayor Wu Dun-yi.
Chang was born in 1941 in Changhwa. He is well-known to
AIT/K -- particularly on the golf course, as he is an avid
player. He has a very mild personality and is generally
reserved and cautious, avoiding comment on politics and
political figures. Chang speaks no English and has traveled
infrequently on business overseas. Chang is likely to be a
loyal staff member for Hsieh, but will not likely be a
confidant or close advisor.


3. (C) Two other Hsieh aides are likely to be appointed to
positions as close advisors to the new Premier. However,
formal announcements have not yet been made.

-- Hsu Jen-tu, currently Kaohsiung Civil Affairs Director, is
a long-time and very close political advisor to Hsieh. Hsu
took the Civil Affairs Director position after his
predecessor resigned following his indictment for brokering
vote-buying in a 2002 Kaohsiung City Council Speaker scandal.
The Civil Affairs Director position serves as the Mayor's
key intermediary with the city's ward chiefs (lizhang) and
the City Council. Prior to taking up the Civil Affairs
portfolio, Hsu served briefly as head of Kaohsiung's
Information Department and prior to that was Hsieh's campaign
director for his successful 2002 re-election. Hsu also
served as DPP Deputy Secretary General when Hsieh was DPP
Chairman from 2001-02, and Hsu was Kaohsiung City DPP
Chairman prior to that. Months prior to Hsieh's appointment
as Premier, Hsu told AIT/K that he had already effectively
moved to Taipei to lay the political groundwork for Hsieh's
return to Taipei. Prior to his entry into politics, Hsu was
a journalist, writer and movie producer. Born in 1949 in
Miaoli County, Hsu has a degree in Philosophy from National
Taiwan University. Hsu is married and has one son who
currently serves as a staff member in the Kaohsiung
Transportation Bureau. Hsu is a long-time close contact of
AIT. He speaks little English and has had little overseas
travel, though he accompanied Hsieh on at least one visit to
the U.S in 2003. Hsu is an important domestic political
advisor and "fixer" for Hsieh and will likely be appointed to
a position in the Premier's office.

-- Chen Chien-chung (Corey),currently Director of Frank
Hsieh's Taipei Office, is also a long-time and close aide to
Hsieh. Even while a graduate student, Chen worked as an
assistant to Hsieh while Hsieh was a legislator. Chen
followed Hsieh to Kaohsiung in 1998, working on Hsieh's
mayoral campaign and, subsequently served several years as
Hsieh's Executive Assistant. When Hsieh was elected DPP
Chairman in 2000, Corey Chen was sent by Hsieh back to Taipei
to serve as his Special Assistant for party affairs. Chen
served briefly as Deputy Director of the DPP's International
Affairs Department after Hsieh lost his party position in
2002 (Comment: Chen told AIT/T that Hsieh left him behind as
a spy to report on developments inside party HQ. End
Comment.). After being removed from his party post by
International Affairs Department Director (and DPP
Legislator) Bi-khim Hsiao, Hsieh asked Chen to remain in
Taipei to run Kaohsiung's Taipei office. Born in 1968 in
Taipei, Chen has both a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science
from National Taiwan University. He spent three months in a
study program at the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute in
1993 and speaks fairly good English. Corey Chen has been a
long-time contact of AIT. He is married and has a daughter.
He is expected to take a position in the Premier's Office as
a key advisor, likely serving both in policy advisory and
personal assistant roles.

PAAL
PAAL