Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chih-feng (蘇治芬) yesterday said that the Vietnamese government did not give any explanation for a series of difficulties she encountered on a trip this week.
Su and her entourage returned from Vietnam yesterday after a five-day trip to learn more about a pollution incident involving a Formosa Plastics Group steel mill in Ha Tinh Province, visit a Catholic orphanage in Vinh and purchase Vietnamese children’s books to promote mother-tongue education in Yunlin County.
Su said her passport was temporarily held at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, the group was prohibited from visiting the orphanage and they were followed on a trip to the steel mill.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“The Vietnamese government did not make any direct or indirect contact with us,” she said. “I still do not understand why my passport was held by airline clerks.”
Su’s passport was held for unknown reasons when the group was to fly to Vinh.
After Representative to Vietnam Richard Shih (石瑞琦) negotiated with Vietnamese officials, the group was told that they were not allowed to visit the orphanage, so they canceled that event and went to Ha Tinh by bus, Su said.
While media reports said that Su was blocked because the church is an “anti-[Vietnamese] government” organization, Su said she was totally unaware of the church’s political nature and they simply wanted to visit the orphanage for charity purposes.
“I do not know any so-called anti-government people or dissidents,” she said.
“I still do not know whether the church leadership are anti-government,” she added.
Brushing aside speculation that her passport was held because the group planned to visit places not listed on her visa application, Su said they went to Vietnam on tourist visas and they were never asked to provide an itinerary, so there was no conflict between the planned trip and where they actually went.
They were never asked to explain the purpose of their travel, but they were not given any explanation for the situation, Su said, adding that the group never met any Vietnamese officials, while negotiations were conducted by Shih.
In Ha Tinh, the group was followed by plainclothes police officers and they had to ask permission to visit places, Su said. The police arranged a visit to a head massage parlor and watched during the time there.
“It is impossible to feel comfortable while being followed,” she said.
Su quoted chemist Ding Guo-tsuen (丁國村), who was with the group, as saying that the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp plant is a world-class facility, but that could not prevent human error.
She said that even after the visit, the group did not understand anything about the pollution incident other than what was reported by the media, but she questioned the transparency of the Vietnamese government’s investigation.
Hanoi said the plant was responsible for causing a mass fish die-off in the province and downstream areas in April.
“We cannot reach a definite conclusion on the pollution incident,” Su said. “The Vietnamese government is obliged to make its investigation report public.”
Su reaffirmed her endorsement of the government’s “new southbound policy” amid concerns that the issues she faced on the trip might spell its failure.
The presence of Taiwanese companies is strong in Vietnam and Vietnamese are energetic and friendly toward Taiwanese, she said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS