Puyuma Train Derails in Suao, Killing 18; Minister of Transportation Wu Hong-mo Resigns Under Pressure After Failure in Oversight

On the afternoon of October 21, 2018, a Puyuma Express train derailed and overturned at Xinma Station on the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) Yilan Line, killing 18 passengers and injuring 215 others. It was the deadliest railway disaster in Taiwan since 1991. Official investigation reports highlighted long-standing security equipment defects, main compressor abnormalities, and chaotic management structures within the TRA. As the head of the supervising Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Minister Wu Hong-mo faced overwhelming public condemnation. After initial attempts to evade accountability, he was forced to resign in early December, serving for only 140 days. However, in June 2019—just six months after his resignation—the Tsai Ing-wen administration appointed Wu as the Chairman of the state-owned Chunghwa Post. This political patronage, which quickly recycled and rewarded a bureaucrat carrying heavy political responsibility for a fatal disaster, was severely criticized as a shameful example of DPP factional spoils and complete disregard for public safety.