The Greater Tainan Government is trying to get in touch with former Dutch diplomat Menno Goedhart after his recent abrupt departure from the municipality, Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), said on Wednesday.
“I’m trying to get in touch with Goedhart to learn if there were difficulties in his daily life or work,” Lai said in response to questions by Greater Tainan Councilor Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉) during a question-and-answer session at the Greater Tainan Council.
Chiu inquired about the reason for Goedhart’s departure, especially because he is an honorary citizen of the municipality.
Photo courtesy of Menno Goedhart’s office
When Goedhart published his book, titled The Real Taiwan and the Dutch: Traveling Notes from the Netherlands Representative, at the Chihkan Tower (赤嵌樓) in Tainan, he said: “Tainan is my home,” Chiu said.
Chiu also asked about the reason for Goedhart’s departure, which reportedly was that he was unable to adapt to a culture in which “policies change when leaders change.”
He also pointed out that Tainan Holland Day, which Tainan has hosted for four years, was not held this year.
Lai said he thought the reason for Goedhart’s departure was a “misunderstanding,” adding “it’s a pity” he decided to leave.
Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山), head of Tainan’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, said he did not know why the former diplomat left.
He said Tainan Holland Day was co-sponsored by the city government and the Dutch representative office in Taiwan in the past, but the office was not keen on hosting the event this year.
National Cheng Kung University, which had invited Goedhart to work as a researcher after his retirement, said he did not return to the school this year.
Goedhart served as the head of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office in Taiwan from 2002 to 2010.
He was dubbed “Mr Taiwan” because of his love of Taiwan and familiarity with the country.
He was also keen on tracing the footprints of the Dutch in Taiwan, who reigned over the Tainan area and other areas from 1624 to 1662. During that period, some Dutch men married Aborigines, mostly from the Rukai Tribe.
In 2009, Goedhart visited Pingtung County’s Wutai Township (霧台) along with nearly 40 Dutch people residing in Taiwan, for a meeting with descendants of the mixed marriages. Due to his close friendship with the tribe, Goedhart was made an honorary chieftain with the name Ama Daganau.
Goedhart decided to settle down in Tainan’s Sinhua District (新化) after his retirement in August 2010.
Friends close to the former envoy said he left mainly because his research has not been going smoothly and because he did not feel respected by the Greater Tainan Government and National Cheng Kung University.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost