The Bush administration has dismissed as moot talk that Washington might seek the dispatch of Taiwanese marines to Iraq, saying that Taiwan has not made such an offer nor has the US asked for it.
"I would point out that Taiwan has not offered the dispatch of troops and we're not seeking such a contribution," Department of State spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters on Monday.
"It's really a moot point," he said.
Boucher made the comments in response to questions at his regular daily news briefing.
In his response, he praised Taiwan's contribution to humanitarian aid to Iraq, saying, "We do value the contributions that Taiwan is making."
Boucher noted that Taiwan contributed US$4.4 million in humanitarian assistance to Iraq after major combat ended last year, including medicines, blankets and food, and computers to the new Iraqi education ministry.
"We thank Taiwan for their contributions," he said.
Boucher was answering questions stemming from a resolution introduced in the House of Representatives last week by two congressmen, asking President George W. Bush to request that President Chen Shui-bian (
The resolution, sponsored by two Republicans, Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a co-chairman of the Taiwan Congressional Caucus, and Representative Jim Ryun, is one of thousands of bills introduced in Congress every year, only few of which survive the legislative process.
An aide to Rohrabacher told the Taipei Times on Monday that the idea for the resolution came from a May 16 Los Angeles Times story that quoted DPP Legislator Parris Chang (
The resolution picked up on that idea, and that wording, in its justification for seeking other congressmen to support and vote for the resolution.
Congressional lobbying group the Formosan Association for Public Affairs said in a news release that the idea was first brought up in an April 27 article by William Triplett, a former Senate Foreign Relations Committee aide and prominent conservative political thinker, that explored the possibility of Taiwan's sending troops to Iraq.
"We sort of kicked the idea around and said, `the troops should be there.' They're a democracy and they're a part of the world community," and should be asked to participate, the Rohrabacher aide said.
"This might get Taiwan off the dime," he said. "They were considering it and this could help them along in the process."
A legislative aide to Ryun, Jim Richardson, said the idea "was to put Congress on record, to let the administration know and hopefully they'll support the idea that there is a need in Iraq for additional troops. The United States has asked every other society in the world to contribute and it must make sense to ask Taiwan to contribute troops as well."
The Presidential Office has denied that was considering sending troops to Iraq.
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
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