Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu (
"The idea to invite Senegal's national soccer team to visit Taiwan was originally a creative diplomatic activity," Lu told reporters yesterday.
"However, the way in which those government departments handled the event was so absurd that it has humiliated our people and has made Taiwan the laughing stock of the international community."
Lu stressed that the government should reflect on the negative experience and enhance its ability to execute diplomatic ventures -- ventures which are supposed to promote Taiwan's image in the international community.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was eager to celebrate our ally's success and it should be encouraged. However, what has happened during our guests' visit is a great shame," Lu said.
"The government should therefore learn its lesson from this event and avoid making the same mistake in the future."
Lu added that the government also needs to prepare for future international sport competitions, especially for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, because that occasion will be an important arena in which the international community would compare Taiwan's performance with that of China's.
"If China hosts the games successfully and wins many medals while Taiwan performs poorly," Lu said, "it would be of great harm to our national dignity and harm the way people perceive Taiwan."
MOFA has compiled a report on the whole fiasco and the National Council of Physical Fitness and Sports yesterday made proposals regarding who should be punished to the Executive Yuan.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said that the Cabinet will meet to decide who should be punished and how.
"I haven't seen the report yet and I will respect the Cabinet's decision if it does decide to punish some officials," Yu told reporters.
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