China yesterday declined Taiwan’s offer of assistance in the wake of a deadly earthquake that struck a mountainous area of Qinghai Province killing more than 600 people, saying sufficient rescue resources were in place to deal with the situation.
The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said in a statement that the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) had thanked Taiwan for its concern and support, but indicated that such assistance was not necessary at this time. As rescue work has already started, ARATS said it would contact the SEF immediately should the situation change.
The country’s 23-member search and rescue team was ready to set out for Qinghai within four hours had China agreed.
The SEF said it had sent the letter to its Chinese counterpart on Wednesday to express concern and inquire whether any rescue personnel were needed.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said yesterday that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) telephoned Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) as soon as he learned of the quake.
In addition to expressing his condolences to the victims, Lo said Ma asked the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and other related agencies to get an understanding of the situation and convey the administration’s desire to help.
Jiang told reporters yesterday at the legislature that the National Fire Agency designates one county or city responsible for offering international rescue assistance each month and this month it was Hsinchu County.
“As far as I know, they have a 23-member rescue team on standby that could be dispatched within four hours of receiving the order,” he said.
The Associated Press news agency reported from the provincial capital, Xining, yesterday that the road to the remote disaster zone of 70,000 people had been blocked by a landslide.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) chairwoman Chow Mei-li (周美里) yesterday urged the Chinese government to quickly allow international rescue teams into the ethnically Tibetan area.
“Rescuing survivors in the area isn’t easy because the region is not well connected to the outside and is very difficult to reach — this is exactly the reason why we urge the Chinese government to allow as many experienced rescue teams as possible from other countries, including Taiwan, into the area,” Chow told the Taipei Times by telephone.
Ngawang Woeber, chairman of the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, a group of former political prisoners in Tibet, said the Chinese government only cares about exploiting natural resources in Qinghai’s Tibetan region, including Yushu — known to the Tibetans as Kyegudo — without considering the negative impact, especially when an earthquake hits.
“We call on the Chinese government to stop all development projects that may threaten human lives in these regions,” Ngawang said.
Residents in quake-affected areas are worried that a nearby dam may collapse as a result of the earthquake, Chow said, adding that as many as 14 dams have been either completed or are under construction in the area, posing a threat not only to the lives of the locals, but also to the region’s scarce water resources.
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