Messages of condolences and offers of assistance continue to pour in from abroad in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
In a press release, the ministry quoted Mike Coleman, head of the Salvation Army Taiwan Region, as saying the Christian charity was ready to help with long-term reconstruction efforts in storm-ravaged areas.
The London headquarters of the Salvation Army will send three disaster relief experts to assess what assistance is needed, the release said.
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, New York Governor David Paterson and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg all expressed their deepest sympathy, MOFA said.
HEARTFELT DONATION
While Taiwan has received millions of dollars in aid from foreign countries, the story of a US$120 donation from a tribe in the Solomon Islands has attracted attention.
The Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday that a Solomon Islander employed at Taiwan’s technical assistance mission in the Solomon Islands learned of the disaster on a visit to Taiwan this week.
He phoned his father, Stanley Tapeva, the head of a tribe in Isabel Province, to inform him of the disaster.
Tapeva held a tribal meeting to raise money. Two hundred families in his tribe donated a total of 1,000 Solomon Islands dollars (US$120).
The same afternoon, Tapeva made a five-hour boat trip to deliver the money to the Taiwan Technical Mission in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, which is an ally of Taiwan.
Tapeva handed the money to the head of the Taiwan mission, saying he did not want to make the donation through the Solomon Islands government lest it be embezzled.
HOUSING OFFER
He gave a letter to Hung expressing the tribe’s condolences.
“Taiwan used to help us, now it’s our turn to help them. If the typhoon survivors have no place to live, they are welcome to come and live in our homes,” Tapeva said with tears in his eyes.
In related developments, a fundraising bazaar will be held today and tomorrow in Taipei to help storm-stricken families, MOFA said.
The bazaar is being organized by the the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China and Huashan 1914 Creative Park, with the support of Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund and diplomatic corps.
The bazaar, which will be held at Huashan Creative Park, will feature exotic souvenirs and arts and crafts donated by Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and other countries, as well as clothes, accessories, toys and household goods.
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