The Directorate General of Highways (DGH) said it would take about one to two months for the entire Provincial Highway No. 9, also known as the South Link Highway (南迴公路), to become operational because the section between Chinluen (金崙) and Shinhsianglan (新香蘭) was severely damaged.
However, the DGH said it aimed to have the sections between Fonggang (楓港) and Anshuo (安朔), between Taimali and Shinhsianglan, as well as between Anshuo and Chinluen opened by Friday, Sunday and Tuesday next week respectively.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday thanked the international community for their concern for typhoon victims.
MOFA deputy spokesman James Chang (章計平) said Japan and the US had expressed deep condolences for the typhoon victims and their families and offered to help through all kinds of channels.
The governments of France, Hungary and the Holy See, Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Europe, and a German parliamentary group friendly to Taiwan also sent their condolences to the victims and their families, Chang said.
He said the ministry appreciated the US and Japan's offers to help but indicated that Taiwan would not request foreign assistance at present because there were sufficient recourses and the disaster relief mechanism was working well.



