Taiwan's government has ordered all of its offices in the US to fly the national flag at half-mast yesterday to mourn the victims of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in the US.
"The government has made the decision in consideration of the long-standing strong ties between our two countries," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Katherine Chang (
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, substantive Taiwan-US relations have been solid and cordial, Chang said, adding that foreign embassies and representative offices in Taiwan also flew their national flags at half-mast after the devastating 921 earthquake rattled Taiwan, which left more than 2,400 people dead and tens of thousands homeless.
Chang further said that since Tuesday's coordinated terrorist attacks destroyed New York's landmark World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, the ministry has contacted major local non-government organizations and private associations to see whether they can assist in US post-attack rescue and relief operations.
"Local rescue teams are willing to fly to the US to take part in search and rescue work once the US government lifts the country-wide flight ban," Chang said.
Meanwhile, he said a total of nine Taiwan expatriates and ethnic Chinese inside the towers of the World Trade Center at the time of the attack remain unaccounted for.
Reports from Los Angeles also showed that four passengers aboard the two hijacked American Airlines planes might be Chinese. They were identified as Deng Lee, Shuyin Yang, Yuguag Zheng and Danny Lee. All passengers and crew aboard the two planes were killed in the incidents. One of the planes slammed into a World Trade Center tower and the other into the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, at least three Taiwan religious groups have mobilized to render relief assistance to the US after the nation was struck by heinous terror attacks Tuesday.
The Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, under directives by Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen (
In addition to establishing an operations center in southern California Wednesday as an instruction nerve center for rescue and relief work in the US, the Tzu Chi Foundation also vowed to offer round-the-clock relief services which people in need could get access to by telephoning 0021-626-357-2123 or sending an e-mail to INFO@us.tzuchi.org, a spokeswoman for the Hualien-based charity organization said.
Tzu Chi volunteers residing in New York, several of whom experienced "life and death" ordeals before narrowly escaping from the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which both collapsed not long after being struck by passenger planes hijacked by terrorists, have pitched in with relief work since the day of the attacks, which US President George W. Bush termed "acts of war."
The Fo Kuang Shan (
Any one who requires help can contact the Fo Kuang center by telephoning either 718-939-8318 or 718-939-9318, a foundation spokesman said.
In addition, the Fo Kuang Foundation has also set up a temporary morgue at its Hsi Lai Temple (
At the same time, the Taipei-based Dhama Drum Mountain (
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source