Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday said that Japan is ready to assist Taiwan after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit southern Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Abe offered to provide rescue and relief efforts, in a message conveyed to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) by Takashi Hamada, secretary-general of Japan’s representative office in Taipei, the ministry said.
The office represents Japanese interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Photo: CNA
Abe expressed sympathy for the earthquake victims, saying that the Japanese government is willing to provide Taiwan with personnel and equipment, the ministry said.
Ma asked Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) to convey his gratitude to Japan via the association, according to the ministry.
It said Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the damage and losses and would accept Japan’s offer if necessary.
Photo courtesy of a reader
The earthquake, with its epicenter in Kaohsiung, struck at 3:57am yesterday, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 400.
Tainan was hit hard, with several buildings collapsing.
The US yesterday also voiced concern over the quake.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Kin Moy yesterday expressed support for Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) and the rescue teams operating in the area.
“On behalf of my AIT family, I want to let all of our good friends in the areas affected by the earthquake know that you are in our thoughts today,” Moy wrote on Facebook.
Moy said the AIT is following events very closely, as the disaster affects many people throughout Taiwan and in the US.
“As some of you may know, my family and I vacationed in Tainan recently,” he wrote. “I especially want to send our support to Mayor Lai and all of our other friends in Tainan. Let’s all back the rescue teams!”
Meanwhile, China yesterday said it was willing to assist in the wake of the earthquake.
Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that China was willing to provide rescue and relief assistance to Taiwan, if necessary.
The Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) would formally raise the issue with its Taiwanese counterpart, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Ma said.
ARATS has been in contact with the SEF since 6am yesterday and has offered its condolences after the quake, Ma said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS