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Local response highlights

* Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent a telegram to his US counterpart George W. Bush to express his condolences after airplane terror attacks in the United States destroyed New York's World Trade Centre, set the Pentagon afire, and triggered fear and panic.

"President Chen Shui-bian was shocked," his office said in a statement. "Aside from condemning this kind of violent acts, he also expressed condolences to the relatives of victims."

* Taiwan instructed its diplomatic missions in the US on Wednesday to protect overseas Chinese following the terrorist attacks.

The Foreign Ministry said it had instructed Taiwan's 13 representative offices in the US to form emergency taskforces to protect overseas Chinese.

"As of now, we have not heard of overseas Chinese or Taiwan nationals being killed or injured in the attacks," the ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan does not have an embassy in the US because Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Since then, Taiwan has opened 13 representative offices in the US to serve as Taiwan's diplomatic missions.

* Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) was forced to postpone his return from Hawaii as the United States closed airports nationwide in response to horrifying terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the Government Information Office said Wednesday.

Premier Chang, who arrived in Hawaii Monday for a transit stop after a four-leg visit to the Caribbean aimed at cementing relations with the Republic of China's diplomatic allies, was originally scheduled to return to Taipei Wednesday afternoon.

GIO officials said Premier Chang's new return schedule will be announced later.

Premier Chang left Taipei Sept. 1 for his first diplomatic tour since assuming office last October. He has visited four ROC allies in the East Caribbean -- Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada -- during his trip.

* Taiwan stepped up security at all defense and military installations following the devastating terror attacks in the United States, defense authorities said Wednesday. Defense Minister Wu Shih-wen (伍世文) and Chief of Staff General Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) ordered all troops "to enforce safeguarding security on all military units and important facilities," a defense ministry statement said. "All high-ranking officers were ordered to stay at their posts," the statement said.

Troop operations remained normal, it added.
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