Chiou I-jen
Encyclopedia
Chiou I-jen born May 9, 1950, was a Vice Premier
of the Republic of China
(Taiwan
) between May 17, 2007 to May 6, 2008.
in southern Taiwan
. He earned a BA
in philosophy
from National Taiwan University
in 1972, and subsequently attended the University of Chicago
, where he earned an MA
in political science
. While attending the University of Chicago, Chiou was an influential member of the Taiwanese democratization movement, earning himself the nickname "Loudspeaker."
Generation," including Chiou I-jen, formed the "Association of Tangwai Editors and Writers." The group was focused on bringing democracy to Taiwan, enshrining that goal in their charter: "...Taiwan's future should be decided by its 18 million inhabitants." The charter went on to say "...the people of Taiwan have the right to choose independence." In 1986, Chiou, along with other members of the Tangwai movement, helped the movement coalesce into a coherent political party, thus forming the Democratic Progressive Party
or DPP. Given that the KMT
still ruled the island at the time and did not allow much at all in the way of political opposition, the DPP opted to take a low profile, yet continued to advocate its message of self-determination
for Taiwan. Chiou's "New Tangwai Generation" group stuck together and formed the New Tide Faction within the DPP.
As the political climate in Taiwan grew less oppressive and more open, the DPP flourished and began competing with the KMT in elections. In the early 1990s, Chiou was appointed Secretary General of the DPP and served under party Chairmen Shih Ming-teh
and Hsu Hsin-liang
, but resigned from the post in 1998 to take responsibility for the poor performance of the DPP in the three-in-one elections. The DPP had also begun sending its own representatives to the United States
, so as to counterbalance the views of the official KMT-run Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
. Subsequent to his resignation as DPP Secretary General, Chiou was appointed DPP representative, and was sent to Washington, DC.
, who was running as the DPP candidate for President
. With Chen's election, Chiou was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council. Shortly thereafter, Chiou was appointed Secretary General for the Executive Yuan
, giving him a stronger hand in shaping government policy.
Chiou served in the EY until early 2002, when Yu Shyi-kun
was appointed Premier
. Premier Yu removed Chiou from his position as EY Secretary General and moved him to a position as minister without portfolio. In March 2002, Ting Yu-chou stepped down as Secretary General of the National Security Council, and President Chen selected Chiou to replaced him. Chiou served in this position from 2002-2003.
In January 2003, in a reshuffle of personnel designed to better enable the DPP to wage its campaign for the 2004 Presidential election, President Chen moved Chiou from his position as NSC Secretary General to become the Secretary General of the Presidential Office, earning him the moniker "The Permanent Secretary General." Regarded as the DPP's top elections strategist, Chiou once again successfully managed Chen's campaign, despite the apparent assassination attempt
on President Chen and Vice President
Annette Lu
.
After the successful conclusion of the 2004 election, Chiou was moved back to the National Security Council as Secretary General, and remained there until early 2007, when he was moved back to the Presidential Office as Secretary General. On May 17, 2007, along with the rest of the Cabinet of out-going Premier
Su Tseng-chang
, Dr. Tsai Ing-wen
resigned to make way for incoming Premier
Chang Chun-hsiung
and his Cabinet. Premier Chang named Chiou I-jen, to replace Dr. Tsai as Vice Premier
.
to officially recognize Taiwan
: "I feel deeply ashamed in the face of my country and people; In addition to helping with judicial investigations, I will withdraw from my beloved Democratic Progressive Party. I believe the investigations will prove my innocence." Both the man, Ching Chi-ju, and the money disappeared. Chiou I-jen was prosecuted with corruption and was prohibited from leaving Taiwan
.
On May 6, 2008, Chiou I-jen resigned from the post of Vice Premiership.
, by Supreme Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division Prosecutors, for alleged embezzlement
of about $500,000 (£308,000) from diplomatic funds, in 2004, as secretary-general of the National Security Council. Chen Shui-bian
called his arrest a "political persecution" by the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang
government amid and after another senior DPP member -- Chiayi
County magistrate
Chen Ming-wen's detention on corruption charges: "The government abused the laws and its powers to persecute and humiliate us but the people and the history will return justice to us and prove our innocence. The government of President Ma Ying-jeou
(馬英九) is settling old scores in the name of a campaign against corruption. The Special Investigation Division (SID), in order to indict and convict me, has been taking high-profile actions, locking up members of the former government team one by one." Chiou I-jen is the 8th suspect in spin-offs of Chen Shui-bian's money laundering probes under the jurisdiction of the Taipei District Court.
Premier of the Republic of China
The President of the Executive Yuan , commonly known as the Premier of the Republic of China , is the head of the Executive Yuan, the executive branch of the Republic of China , which currently administers Taiwan, Matsu, and Kinmen. The premier is appointed by the President of the Republic of China...
of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
) between May 17, 2007 to May 6, 2008.
Early career
Chiou was born in 1950 in Pingtung CountyPingtung County
Pingtung County is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of the Republic of China . The oldest national park in Taiwan, Kenting National Park, was established in Pingtung County in 1984...
in southern Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He earned a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
in 1972, and subsequently attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he earned an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. While attending the University of Chicago, Chiou was an influential member of the Taiwanese democratization movement, earning himself the nickname "Loudspeaker."
Rise in politics
Chiou returned to Taiwan, and in 1983, members of the "New TangwaiTangwai
The Tangwai movement was a political movement in the Republic of China in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Although the Kuomintang had allowed contested elections for a small number of seats in Legislative Yuan, opposition parties were still forbidden...
Generation," including Chiou I-jen, formed the "Association of Tangwai Editors and Writers." The group was focused on bringing democracy to Taiwan, enshrining that goal in their charter: "...Taiwan's future should be decided by its 18 million inhabitants." The charter went on to say "...the people of Taiwan have the right to choose independence." In 1986, Chiou, along with other members of the Tangwai movement, helped the movement coalesce into a coherent political party, thus forming the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
or DPP. Given that the KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
still ruled the island at the time and did not allow much at all in the way of political opposition, the DPP opted to take a low profile, yet continued to advocate its message of self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
for Taiwan. Chiou's "New Tangwai Generation" group stuck together and formed the New Tide Faction within the DPP.
As the political climate in Taiwan grew less oppressive and more open, the DPP flourished and began competing with the KMT in elections. In the early 1990s, Chiou was appointed Secretary General of the DPP and served under party Chairmen Shih Ming-teh
Shih Ming-teh
Shih Ming-te or Shih Ming-teh was a political prisoner for 25-and-a-half years in the Republic of China .He was arrested at the age of 21 in 1962 and charged with creating the "Taiwan Independence League" with the intention of overthrowing the Kuomintang government, Shih was sentenced to life...
and Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang
Hsu Hsin-liang is a Taiwanese politician, formerly Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party . He was a supporter of the Pan-Blue Coalition from 2000 to 2008 but then supported the DPP in the 2008 presidential election.-Biography:...
, but resigned from the post in 1998 to take responsibility for the poor performance of the DPP in the three-in-one elections. The DPP had also begun sending its own representatives to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, so as to counterbalance the views of the official KMT-run Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
A Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office , sometimes known as a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office or a Taipei Representative Office , is a representative office, established by the Republic of China in countries that have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China...
. Subsequent to his resignation as DPP Secretary General, Chiou was appointed DPP representative, and was sent to Washington, DC.
Career under Chen administration
While serving as DPP representative to Washington, Chiou also served as the campaign manager for former Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bianChen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
, who was running as the DPP candidate for President
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
. With Chen's election, Chiou was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the National Security Council. Shortly thereafter, Chiou was appointed Secretary General for the Executive Yuan
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
, giving him a stronger hand in shaping government policy.
Chiou served in the EY until early 2002, when Yu Shyi-kun
Yu Shyi-kun
Yu Shyi-kun , a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party, is a former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. He previously served as Premier of the Republic of China from 2002 to 2005...
was appointed Premier
Premier of the Republic of China
The President of the Executive Yuan , commonly known as the Premier of the Republic of China , is the head of the Executive Yuan, the executive branch of the Republic of China , which currently administers Taiwan, Matsu, and Kinmen. The premier is appointed by the President of the Republic of China...
. Premier Yu removed Chiou from his position as EY Secretary General and moved him to a position as minister without portfolio. In March 2002, Ting Yu-chou stepped down as Secretary General of the National Security Council, and President Chen selected Chiou to replaced him. Chiou served in this position from 2002-2003.
In January 2003, in a reshuffle of personnel designed to better enable the DPP to wage its campaign for the 2004 Presidential election, President Chen moved Chiou from his position as NSC Secretary General to become the Secretary General of the Presidential Office, earning him the moniker "The Permanent Secretary General." Regarded as the DPP's top elections strategist, Chiou once again successfully managed Chen's campaign, despite the apparent assassination attempt
3-19 shooting incident
The 3-19 shooting incident was an assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu while they were campaigning in Tainan on March 19, 2004, the day before Taiwan's presidential election...
on President Chen and Vice President
Vice President of the Republic of China
The Vice President of the Republic of China is the second-highest executive official of the Republic of China . The existing office was created in 1948 under the 1947 Constitution of the Republic of China...
Annette Lu
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
.
After the successful conclusion of the 2004 election, Chiou was moved back to the National Security Council as Secretary General, and remained there until early 2007, when he was moved back to the Presidential Office as Secretary General. On May 17, 2007, along with the rest of the Cabinet of out-going Premier
Premier of the Republic of China
The President of the Executive Yuan , commonly known as the Premier of the Republic of China , is the head of the Executive Yuan, the executive branch of the Republic of China , which currently administers Taiwan, Matsu, and Kinmen. The premier is appointed by the President of the Republic of China...
Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang
Su Tseng-chang is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party. He is the former Premier of the Republic of China. Su actively campaigned for the Presidential nomination of the DPP, but finished second to Frank Hsieh in the nomination process...
, Dr. Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen is the current chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. Studying in Taiwan, the U.S and the U.K. Tsai earned an LL.B. from National Taiwan University, an LL.M. from Cornell University Law School and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics....
resigned to make way for incoming Premier
Premier of the Republic of China
The President of the Executive Yuan , commonly known as the Premier of the Republic of China , is the head of the Executive Yuan, the executive branch of the Republic of China , which currently administers Taiwan, Matsu, and Kinmen. The premier is appointed by the President of the Republic of China...
Chang Chun-hsiung
Chang Chun-hsiung
Chang Chun-hsiung , born March 23, 1938, a politician in Taiwan, is a former Premier of the Republic of China. Chang was appointed to two separate terms as Premier, both under Chen Shui-bian...
and his Cabinet. Premier Chang named Chiou I-jen, to replace Dr. Tsai as Vice Premier
Premier of the Republic of China
The President of the Executive Yuan , commonly known as the Premier of the Republic of China , is the head of the Executive Yuan, the executive branch of the Republic of China , which currently administers Taiwan, Matsu, and Kinmen. The premier is appointed by the President of the Republic of China...
.
2008 scandal
On May 5, 2008, Chiou I-jen resigned from the ruling party after acknowledging responsibility for arranging the transfer of $ 29.8 million to a Taiwanese man acting as intermediary in a deal to try to get Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
to officially recognize Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
: "I feel deeply ashamed in the face of my country and people; In addition to helping with judicial investigations, I will withdraw from my beloved Democratic Progressive Party. I believe the investigations will prove my innocence." Both the man, Ching Chi-ju, and the money disappeared. Chiou I-jen was prosecuted with corruption and was prohibited from leaving Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
On May 6, 2008, Chiou I-jen resigned from the post of Vice Premiership.
Detention
On October 31, 2008, Chiou I-Jen was arrested and detained incommunicadoIncommunicado
Incommunicado, as an adjective or adverb, refers to a situation or a behaviour due to which communication with outsiders is not possible, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, especially due to confinement or reclusiveness....
, by Supreme Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Division Prosecutors, for alleged embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
of about $500,000 (£308,000) from diplomatic funds, in 2004, as secretary-general of the National Security Council. Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
called his arrest a "political persecution" by the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
government amid and after another senior DPP member -- Chiayi
Chiayi
-Administration:-City attractions:*Chiayi Park*Sun Shooting Tower *Lantan *Historic Archives Building of Chiayi City*University of Chiayi*Chiayi Museum...
County magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
Chen Ming-wen's detention on corruption charges: "The government abused the laws and its powers to persecute and humiliate us but the people and the history will return justice to us and prove our innocence. The government of President Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
(馬英九) is settling old scores in the name of a campaign against corruption. The Special Investigation Division (SID), in order to indict and convict me, has been taking high-profile actions, locking up members of the former government team one by one." Chiou I-jen is the 8th suspect in spin-offs of Chen Shui-bian's money laundering probes under the jurisdiction of the Taipei District Court.