Senior Taiwan officials offer to quit after typhoon

Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:34am EDT

* Defence minister, secretary general offer to quit

* Resignations awaiting approval by cabinet

* Political worries dampen market sentiment (Adds confirmation, details)

TAIPEI, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Several Taiwan officials, including the defence minister, have offered to quit over criticism that the government was too slow in its response to Typhoon Morakot, which may have killed about 500 people, officials said on Wednesday.

Taiwan's worst floods in 50 years over the past week triggered by typhoon Morakot caused President Ma Ying-jeou's popularity to sink, with the political uncertainty due to a possible cabinet reshuffle pushing financial markets lower.

Taiwan Defence Minister Chen Chao-min has offered to quit over criticism that the government was too slow in its response to Morakot, which caused massive mudslides in southern Taiwan, Taiwan Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said.

Hsieh Hsiang-chuan, secretary general of the cabinet, had also offered to resign, Liu told a news conference.

"Minister Chen and Secretary-General Hsieh have both verbally offered to resign," Liu said. "When we discuss a cabinet reshuffle in early September, we will consider these offers."

Liu declined to comment on a newspaper report saying that he had also offered to quit, adding that the administration would look at the entire cabinet, including economic and financial positions, to see if there was a need for any changes.

Ma, who is from the Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT), said on Tuesday his administration would investigate the government response to the disaster and would come up with names on who would be held responsible by early September. [ID:nTP202685]

Earlier this week, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia had offered to quit over the ministry's refusal of overseas aid.

Ma, who came into office in May 2008 for a four-year term, has seen his popularity ratings dropping sharply since Morakot triggered the island's worst floods in about 50 years and officially claimed 136 lives.

Farm- and factory-related losses have since amounted to a combined T$15 billion ($450 million), while part of the infrastructure in the island's south has also been destroyed, causing a drag to the economy in the short term.

In a poll conducted by the pro-KMT Chinese-language United Daily News, only 29 percent of Taiwan's public was happy with Ma, logging the lowest popularity ratings since he took office last year.

On Wednesday, the main TAIEX index .TWII erased earlier gains to fall by a slight 0.02 percent, while the Taiwan dollar TWD=TP weakened to T$33.010. (Reporting by Lee Chyen Yee, Jeanny Kao, Ralph Jennings and Faith Hung; Editing by Sugita Katyal)





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