US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI429

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