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.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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