Thomas Shun-Kuei Chan (; born 1963) is a Taiwanese lawyer and politician. He was deputy minister of the

Environmental Protection Administration The Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan (EPA, ) is a cabinet-level executive agency responsible for protecting and conserving the environment in the Republic of China (Taiwan). This also includes, air quality, noise control, m ...

between 20 May 2016 and 8 October 2018.

Early life

Chan obtained his bachelor's degree in law from

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

in 1985. He then worked as an environmental lawyer.

Taitung Miramar Resort case

Thomas Chan is known for his volunteer (

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

) work on the

build–operate–transfer Build–operate–transfer (BOT) or build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) is a form of project delivery method, usually for large-scale infrastructure projects, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the public sector (or the priva ...

(BOT) Taitung Miramar Resort case. On 23 December 2008, in conjunction with community plaintiffs (including indigenous land rights activist,

Lin Shu-ling Lin Shu-ling (; born 1976), is an Amis woman from the Tse-tung ''buluo'' (indigenous village community), in the Fushan Village, Beinan Township, Taitung County, Taiwan. As a traditional custodian of the land on which the Taitung Miramar Resort wa ...

) and Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Chan challenged the validity of an

environmental impact assessment Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...

(EIA) retrospectively conducted by the

Taitung County Government The Taitung County Government () is the local government of Taitung County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacif ...

in relation to the Taitung Miramar Resort. This case would ultimately lead to

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

rulings barring Miramar from opening. Chan has called for the resort to be demolished.

Political career

Chan was a member of Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee of the EPA in 2005–2007, member of National Planning Commission and member of Regional Planning Committee of the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

in 2007-2011 and 2009-2011 respectively, member of Trust Law Amendment Study Sub-committee of the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

in 2010-2016 and member of Legal Affairs Committee of the

Council of Indigenous Peoples The Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP; ), formerly known as the Council of Aboriginal Affairs, is a ministry-level body under the Executive Yuan in Taiwan (Republic of China). It was established to serve the needs of the country's indigenous ...

in 2011–2016. Chan assumed office as deputy minister of the

in May 2016. He tendered his resignation for the first time soon after

Lin Chuan Lin Chuan (; born 13 December 1951) is a Taiwanese economist and politician who served as Premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2017 under President Tsai Ing-wen. He served as Minister of Budget, Accounting and Statistics and M ...

left the premiership in September 2017. A year later, Chan notified the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

that he intended to resign. His second resignation was not accepted until October 2018, when Chan posted about it on social media.

References

3. Lin, Chia-nan. "INTERVIEW: EPA’s Chan addresses wind farms."

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Thomas 1963 births Living people National Taiwan University alumni 20th-century Taiwanese lawyers Taiwanese Ministers of Environment 21st-century Taiwanese lawyers