The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it had beefed up security at its Toronto office after receiving numerous phone calls threatening to harm the office’s staff over racist remarks allegedly made by the acting director of its information division, Kuo Kuan-ying (郭冠英).
Kuo has been accused of publishing a number of articles defaming Taiwan and its people under the pen name “Fan Lan-chin” (范蘭欽).
MOFA sources said anonymous threats were made to the Toronto Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) between March 14 and March 17 when Kuo was summoned by the Government Information Office (GIO) to return to Taiwan to answer questions about the allegations.
The Canadian police have been notified of the threats and MOFA also recently instructed all of its foreign service personnel to be mindful of their words and conduct while representing the country abroad.
The Toronto office currently has 10 staff — five from MOFA, two from the Overseas Compatriots Affairs Commission, two from the GIO and one National Immigration Agency officer.
As the Kuo case snowballs, a number of diplomatic personnel have expressed concern to the ministry, saying if the case is not properly handled, it might trigger a domino effect of vehement protest from overseas Taiwanese compatriots.
The consequences could impede MOFA personnel from performing their duties, they said, warning the government not to treat the matter lightly.
A number of foreign service workers also said that Kuo’s alleged misconduct had not only stirred up tension among overseas compatriots, but had also led many to suspect that there are more “Fan Lan-chins” hidden among foreign services personnel.
The Kuo case has inconvenienced the Toronto office as well as representative offices and embassies in the world, they said.
The legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee on Thursday demanded the nation’s missions beef up supervision and management of their offices, and concluded that Wang Kuo-ran (王國然), the head of the Toronto office, needed to produce a written report on the matter.
In response, MOFA said Wang had submitted a report to the ministry and vowed to closely monitor the information division as Kuo hands over management of the office to another staff member before his return to Taiwan this month under GIO instructions.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS