The government is working on measures to assist Indonesia, which was struck by a massive earthquake on Sunday evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, adding that all Taiwanese tourists in the Southeast Asian nation were safe and sound.
Speaking at a routine news conference in Taipei, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that the government is talking to concerned parties to get a better picture of Indonesia’s needs after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island of Lombok, killing at least 98 people.
“Taiwan has been an active participant in humanitarian relief and our policy is to never be absent in such efforts. We are talking to concerned parties to deliberate on the matter and to better understand Indonesia’s relief needs,” Lee said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of the Interior
The government plans to team up with the private sector in offering disaster relief to Indonesia, he said, adding that it is still deciding on the donation amount and where it should be spent.
The ministry’s announcement of a donation plan came just two days after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Twitter in English and Bahasa that Taiwan is ready to provide help to Indonesia.
“My thoughts are with the victims of the deadly earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia. Taiwan stands ready to help our Indonesian friends at this difficult time,” Tsai wrote.
In an interview with the Central News Agency on Monday, Indonesian special envoy to Taiwan Ang Tjoen Ming (翁俊民) said that if Taiwan is willing to offer assistance, it could help construct 100 housing units in quake-affected areas, which he said would only cost about US$250,000.
With regard to the situation of Taiwanese tourists in Indonesia, Lee said the ministry has established contact with 15 of them, 12 of whom were scheduled to return to Taiwan either yesterday or today.
The remaining three have yet to decide when they would return, he said.
The Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta is seeking to re-establish contact with an unknown number of Taiwanese tourists stranded on Gili Islands, northwest of Lombok.
“Because the islands’ electricity was later cut off, we have not been able to contact them. However, given that they did contact the office shortly after the quake, we believe they are all safe,” Lee said.
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