A navy ship will leave today for Cebu City, Philippines, carrying relief supplies for Typhoon Haiyan survivors, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
It will be the first time the navy has visited the Philippines since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
It will take four days for the Chung He class tank-landing ship to travel the 900 nautical miles (1,667km) from Greater Kaoshiung’s Zuoying District (左營), ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said.
The government donated US$200,000 after Haiyan hit the Philippines on Nov. 8 and sent 150 tonnes of relief supplies collected by Taiwanese charities by military transport planes.
Air force C-130 planes have made 18 flights to deliver relief supplies to the Philippines, beginning on Nov. 12.
Minister Without Portfolio Lin Jung-tzer (林政則) traveled on one of the flights on Thursday last week to check on how the relief supplies are being distributed.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs statistics show that the government and Taiwanese organizations have contributed funds and supplies worth more than NT$190 million (US$6.42 million) to the Philippines as of Thursday.
The navy helped transport Vietnamese refugees in Subic Bay in 1975 after the fall of the South Vietnamese government.
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