A Taiwan fleet was waiting off the Solomon Islands yesterday to evacuate ethnic Chinese from the crisis-torn islands.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, two Lafayette frigates and one landing ship are standing by, waiting for an order from the foreign ministry to evacuate the expatriates.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement that Taipei's embassy in Honiara, the capital, has begun registering expatriates and moving them onto the navy's friendship fleet for temporary shelter.
The foreign ministry, however, denied Taiwan was pulling out its expatriates.
"We are not evacuating yet, just moving the expatriates to a temporary refuge," said ministry spokesman Henry Chen (
Out of the estimated 800 ethnic Chinese living in the Solomons, only 50 hold Republic of China passports while around two thirds are PRC citizens.
While Taiwan is assisting all ethnic Chinese to move to safety, those holding the country's passport have priority.
The defense ministry confirmed that around 500 to 600 people are already aboard the ships.
Sources told the Taipei Times that National Security Council Secretary General Chuang Ming-yao (
A meeting between the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the foreign ministry and other departments was held yesterday to discuss further evacuation procedures.
Taiwan's naval fleet also brought along humanitarian aid for the Red Cross to the Solomons.
The Solomon Islands is one of only 29 countries which maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Diplomatic ties were established in 1983.
The foreign ministry did not however comment on the political situation in the Solomons, where the rebel Malaita Eagle Force, led by Honiara lawyer Andrew Nori, took Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu hostage on Monday and seized key installations around the capital in an attempted coup.
In related news, Australian defense officials said about 250 people were taken on board HMAS Tobruk, an amphibious landing ship, on standby off Honiara yesterday.
"Approximately 250 people have been taken on board HMAS Tobruk, which will remain at anchor in Honiara harbor at a heightened alert status," Australian Defense Minister John Moore said in a statement.
Moore said more people would be brought on board early this morning. Observers said most of those taken to the Tobruk yesterday on board landing craft from a Honiara yacht club were women and children from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
"They seem to be taking most of the women and children on this trip and the men are staying behind," local government official Dorothy Wickham told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio from Honiara.
RSS