Reacting to the rise in frequency of natural disasters affecting East Asian countries, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have proposed setting up a coordination platform for disaster relief in Taiwan, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.
The Taiwan Alliance in International Development (Taiwan AID), an alliance of dozens of local NGOs, is to table the proposal at the upcoming Asia NGOs International Development Conference to be held on Sept. 14 in Taipei, the ministry’s NGO Affairs Committee Deputy Chairman Wu Rong-chuan (吳榮泉) said.
Wu said the proposal had been well-received by various NGOs in other Asian countries since it was first broached in 2008, but the origin of funds needed for its operation remains to be resolved.
Despite a difficult funding environment, Taiwan AID has not relinquished the plan, as it wishes to make a difference with its skills and experience to contribute to Asian security facing the threats caused by global warming, Wu said.
Separately, at a routine press conference, Wu said that Cijin beach in Cijin District (旗津), Greater Kaohsiung, has been selected by Pacific Rim Parks (PRP), an NGO in the US, as a site to join a project aiming to foster understanding and goodwill in the marine environments of the region through the creation of ocean parks.
James Hubbell, a co-founder of the San Diego-based organization, and its president Kyle Bergman are in Taiwan discussing the plan with the Greater Kaohsiung Government and performing an onsite review and inspection of the site, Wu said.
If the design of the park is finalized by the end of this year, the park in Cijin is expected to be completed within six months, Wu said.
“It could enhance exchanges and cooperation in marine culture and ecosystem conservation between Taiwan and other countries under the project,” Wu said.
In related news, the Garden of Hope Foundation and Good Shepherd Social Welfare Service are to co-host an international conference of women’s shelters from Sept. 3 through Sept. 5 to bring together 22 leaders in women’s affairs organizations from 13 countries in Asia, Wu said.
The event forms part of efforts of local women organizations to become the focal point of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS