About 10 critically ill refugees and asylum seekers being held on Nauru have received medical treatment in Taiwan since a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in September last year between Taiwan and Australia took effect in January, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said in Taipei yesterday.
The Guardian on May 14 reported that an Iranian refugee who had been flown to Taiwan for critical heart surgery and her 17-year-old son were on May 10 taken back to Nauru by Australian Border Force officers “against psychiatric advice.”
Deputy Representative to the UK Cheng Shyang-yun (程祥雲) on May 18 wrote a letter to the newspaper saying that the refugees were not “forcibly returned” and that the patients had “completed their treatment prior to leaving Taiwan.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“In consideration of Taiwan’s high-quality medical facilities and long-standing medical cooperation with Nauru,” an MOU was signed allowing refugees and asylum seekers who require urgent medical treatment to be transferred to Taiwan, Cheng said.
The ministry last month also denied the allegations.
It confirmed that an MOU had been signed, adding that Taiwan Adventist Hospital has been overseeing the medical transfers since January.
On Friday, in an online article titled “Send them to Taiwan: Turnbull government’s secret refugee deal revealed,” the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the Australian government signed “an undisclosed arrangement aimed at stopping [refugees on Nauru] from applying to stay in Australia after being treated in local hospitals.”
“The [Australian] government has never announced the memorandum of understanding and refused to release it on Friday,” it said.
“Australia is understood to have sought assistance from more countries for medical transfers. But Taiwan is the only one that has signed a deal with the Turnbull government,” the paper added.
The Guardian on Saturday in an online article reported that asylum seekers who had been flown from Nauru to Taiwan have complained of language barriers.
It reported that the MOU was signed “in an effort to prevent people indefinitely detained on the island from applying for a medical transfer to Australia.”
Lee yesterday reiterated the terms of the MOU and Taiwan’s dedication to global health.
The WHO constitution clearly states that health is a basic human right, Lee said.
To respond to the WHO’s concept of universal health coverage, Taiwan, in addition to defending its citizens’ right to health, is devoted to boosting its contributions to global healthcare, he said.
Nauru is a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, Lee said, adding that medical cooperation with that country has been going on for years and has received praise.
The MOU clearly states that Taiwan and Australia should abide by international human rights standards, and ensure that those involved are treated with dignity and receive appropriate medical treatment, he added.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
FLOOD RECOVERY: “Post-Typhoon Danas reconstruction special act” is expected to be approved on Thursday, the premier said, adding the flood control in affected areas would be prioritized About 200cm of rainfall fell in parts of southern Taiwan from Monday last week to 9am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan District (桃源) saw total rainfall of 2,205mm, while Pingtung County’s Sandimen Township (三地門) had 2,060.5mm and Tainan’s Nanhua District (南化) 1,833mm, according to CWA data. Meanwhile, Alishan (阿里山) in Chiayi County saw 1,688mm of accumulated rain and Yunlin County’s Caoling (草嶺) had 1,025mm. The Pingtung County Government said that 831 local residents have been pre-emptively evacuated from mountainous areas. A total of 576 are staying with relatives in low-lying areas, while the other 255 are in shelters. CWA forecaster
RSS