Thomas Shun-Kuei Chan (; born 3 January 1964) is a Taiwanese lawyer. He was deputy minister of the

Environmental Protection Administration The Ministry of Environment (MOENV; ), formerly the Environmental Protection Administration, is a cabinet-level ministry responsible for protecting and conserving the environment in Taiwan. The ministry's scope includes air quality, noise contro ...

between 20 May 2016 and 8 October 2018.

Education

Chan obtained his bachelor's degree in law from

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

in 1985. He then worked as an environmental lawyer.

Taitung Miramar Resort case

Thomas Chan is known for his volunteer (''

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

'') 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 (contract), concession from the public ...

(BOT) Taitung Miramar Resort case. On 23 December 2008, in conjunction with community plaintiffs (including indigenous land rights activist, Lin Shu-ling) 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 impact, 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 te ...

(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. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', li ...

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

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. 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 or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

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

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

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, lawyer, and politician who served as the Premier of the Republic of China from 2016 to 2017. He was the first cabinet head under the Tsai Ing-wen government. Before his premiership ...

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

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive (government), executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Under the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, amended constitution, the head of the Execut ...

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 1964 births Living people National Taiwan University alumni 20th-century Taiwanese lawyers Ministers of environment of Taiwan 21st-century Taiwanese lawyers