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Minister quits over string of jet crashes

Jason Blatt

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.

A China Airlines jet crashed near Taipei's international airport in February, killing 202 people, a Formosa Airlines plane went down on March 18 killing 13 people, and a helicopter crash earlier in the month killed three people.

Mr Tsay avoided the press yesterday, but issued a written statement expressing his frustration.

'I hope this can enable society to view problems with a more mature attitude, earnestly and practically correcting long-standing errors, so that the people can truly enjoy freedom from fear,' the statement said.

'I took my orders and approved Civil Aeronautics Administrations Director-General Tsai Duei's resignation.

'Some politically motivated persons have continued dogging the administration, playing up aviation accidents to intentionally stir up social instability.'

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