Taiwan Premier Vincent Siew yesterday accepted the resignation of Transport Minister Tsay Jaw-yang in the wake of a string of recent aviation disasters.
Mr Tsay had been widely criticised and opposition lawmakers had threatened to shelve a review of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' 1999 budget until Mr Tsay stepped down.
Last night, Mr Tsay said he had resigned for the sake of 'preserving justice and reason'.
Cabinet spokesman Chen Chien-jen said former interior minister Lin Feng-cheng would replace Mr Tsay.
Mr Lin, a former Taipei County commissioner and a close associate of President Lee Teng-hui, was forced to step down from his interior minister's post last year after a series of shocking, violent crimes embarrassed the Government.
In the past two months, 218 people have died in three civil aviation disasters.