Taiwan's defence minister offered to resign yesterday amid criticism that the army mobilised too slowly after Typhoon Morakot triggered flooding and mudslides that killed an estimated 500 people.
Chen Chao-min is the third cabinet official to offer to quit in the past two days as the political fallout from one of Taiwan's worst natural disasters in recent years spreads. Some 11,000 people remain stranded in the mountains without water or electricity, 11 days after the storm pounded the island.
Liu Chao-shiuan, premier, said yesterday that the resignations of Mr Chen, Hsieh Hsiang-chuan, cabinet secretary-general, and Andrew Hsia, vice-foreign minister, would not be accepted as “the important thing is to fully focus on the task in front of us”, though he promised “a comprehensive review” of the cabinet by early September, including his own position. Mr Hsia came under fire for issuing a letter declining foreign aid shortly after the typhoon hit.