The company's board of directors, in a meeting, decided to immediately replace "Taiwan Post Co." with the old name, "Chunghwa Post Co.," that the government under Democratic Progressive Party got rid of amid controversies in February 2007.

"The company has always been referred to as 'Chunghwa Post Co.' in related laws although it was changed to 'Taiwan Post Co.' under a (DDP) policy," the company's Chairman Wu Min-yu told a news conference after the board meeting.

Wu said signboards at post offices nationwide will all be changed by noon Monday.

The replacements of the signboards twice -- once last year and again this year -- are estimated to need more than NT$20 million."

The Legislature in April demanded that the company revert to the original name within six months, saying the change last year was illegal.

The name "Chunghwa," which means Chinese, had been part of the name of the nation's post offices for years until the DPP administration forced the name change in line with a campaign to highlight the "Taiwan identity."

Apart from the postal company, some other state run enterprises were also rid of the references to "China" or "Chinese."

The Chinese Petroleum Corp. was changed to CPC Corp., Taiwan, and China Shipbuilding Corp. to CSBC Corp., Taiwan.

The DPP argued that the name change campaign would help avoid confusion resulting from Taiwanese organizations carrying names similar to those used by organizations in China.

The DPP company changed the name of the postal company, and at the same time forwarded bills the Legislature for revisions to the Postal Service Act and a law governing the organization of the company.

But the Legislature, under the strong control of the ruling Kuomintang, shelved the bills, leaving the new name of the postal company without a legal basis.

President Ma Ying-jeou, who had shown strong disapproval of all the name changes that the DPP had made while representing the KMT in this year's presidential race, rejected proposed postage stamps marking his inauguration because they did not bear the name of the country.

Following Ma's inauguration in May, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which oversees the postal company, decided that "Taiwan" stamps would be issued for the last time Aug. 1.

Thereafter all new stamp issues will bear the "Republic of China."

From Feb. 28, 2007 until Aug. 1, 2008, the Taiwan Post Co. has issued a total of 33 sets of postage stamps printed with "Taiwan," according to the Central News Agency.

As an exception, a set of stamps issued May 20 to mark Ma's inauguration were printed with "Republic of China" at the request of the president.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs said it currently has no plans to restore the old names for the oil and shipbuilding companies it oversees, according to the United Evening News

Education Ministry officials were cited by the paper as disclosing that they are discussing the possibility of reinstating the original name for the downtown memorial hall in Taipei City which was built to honor late President Chiang Kai-shek.

The DPP government dropped the late president's name from the memorial, and renamed it the "Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall."

The move sparked strong protests from the KMT camp, including Ma, who revered the late leader.