The Netherlands’ representative to Taiwan will soon retire from civil service, but rather than return home, he will become a tourism ambassador for Taiwan and continue his research on historical traces left by his Dutch ancestors in Taiwan.
“My wife [Ingrid Goedhart] and I look forward to our new life in Taiwan,” Dutch Representative to Taiwan Menno Goedhart said at a ceremony during which Ministry of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) awarded him the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon in recognition of his contributions to strengthening ties between the Netherlands and Taiwan.
About 30 people from the Rukai Tribe, whom Goedhart referred to as his “family and friends,” took a six hour bus ride from Wutai (霧台) Township, Pingtung County, to congratulate him — the first time Aborigines have attended a decoration ceremony for a foreign representative.
Goedhart said he was touched by their trip “just to be with me,” adding he regretted that “a number of my family members in Wutai township could not be here, because the bridge they have to cross has collapsed … I think for the fourth time this year.”
He used the occasion to express his concerns over Aborigines whose houses were destroyed by Typhoon Morakot in August.
“[The typhoon] affected so much the lives of the mountain people. Quite a lot of them still suffer, living still in evacuation camps. They might soon leave those camps and move into to new built villages. However, their suffering does not end with having new houses in new villages,” he said. “So much more is needed to make all these new houses real homes and their culture should become part of it. They need jobs … and they need continuing help.”
Elen, a princess of the Rukai Tribe, said Goedhart had provided a lot of help to her people in the past two years.
Goedhart will become Taiwan’s tourism ambassador and set up a research center on 17th-century heritage.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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