The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday condemned the Syrian government’s chemical attacks on its civilians and voiced its support for global sanctions against such crimes.
Asked about the airstrikes launched by the US, the UK and France on Syria following its suspected use of chemical weapons on civilians, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that Taiwan has always respected and protected human rights and democracy.
Taiwan strongly opposes and condemns any government that uses chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction to hurt innocent people and supports the international community’s adoption of necessary sanctions, Lee said.
Several agreements are in place that prohibit the use of chemical and biological weapons.
Taiwan has provided Syria and Jordan 50 prefabricated houses and five new, fully equipped mobile intensive care ambulances for refugees in the region displaced by the chaos from the ongoing civil war in Syria, the ministry said.
Taiwan is willing to continue to help promote stability and other humanitarian efforts in the area, the ministry added.
Separately yesterday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) held a national security council where she exchanged opinions with high-ranking security officials on the latest developments in Syria and regional security issues.
Tsai told the Ministry of National Defense to boost monitoring of aerial and naval movements in Taiwan’s peripheral areas and safeguarding national security, as well as to react swiftly to false information to calm Taiwanese following China’s announcement of military exercise scheduled for Wednesday.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Taiwan’s Li Yu-hsiang performs in the men’s singles figure skating short program at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Li finished 24th with a score of 72.41 to advance to Saturday’s free skate portion of the event. He is the first Taiwanese to qualify for the free skate of men’s singles figure skating at the Olympics since David Liu in 1992.
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday held a ceremony marking the delivery of its 11th Anping-class offshore patrol vessel Lanyu (蘭嶼艦), saying it would boost Taiwan’s ability to respond to Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Chung-Lung (張忠龍) presided over the CGA event in the Port of Kaoshiung. Representatives of the National Security Council also attended the event. Designed for long-range and protracted patrol operations at sea, the Lanyu is a 65.4m-long and 14.8m-wide ship with a top speed of 44 knots (81.5kph) and a cruising range of 2,000 nautical miles (3704km). The vessel is equipped with a
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