Back at the relief center in Sindian City (新店), Taipei County, CEOC Commander Mao Chih-kuo (毛治國) struggled to answer questions asked by foreign reporters at an international press conference.
While rebutting accusations from foreign media that the government was incapable of handling the emergency, Mao did not provide clear responses to most of the questions.
“I don’t think the government is incapable as some media outlets have speculated,” Mao told Japanese media outlets NHK and Asahi News. “I inspected roads in Jiaxian, Liukuei (六龜) and Maolin (茂林) townships [Kaohsiung County] as early as Aug. 9 and Aug. 10 to see which areas could be cut off from the outside world after the storm.”
He said the information he gathered was used as reference to the military’s rescue efforts.
“As for the delayed rescue efforts, since helicopters are our main tool, deciding whether to fly helicopters into devastated areas really depends on weather conditions,” he said.
Asked when the accurate death toll at Xiaolin Village would be released, Mao said a series of procedures would have to be completed before the government could release the number. Asked to elaborate on the procedures, Mao only repeated the previous remark.
Asked by the Wall Street Journal what kind of assistance Taiwan expected to receive from Japan and the US, and how supplies and help from those two countries would be used, Mao said Taiwan has been updating the list of supplies as they arrive and that it would continue to do so.
Another reporter asked where the helicopters from the US would be dispatched once they arrived, Mao said the government would “make further assessments.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHELLEY SHAN
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