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.
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
RSS