Eight volunteers arrived in Panama on Saturday to begin a two-year stint with Taiwan's overseas volunteer force
The eight are the third such group sent by the government to Panama. They will teach Mandarin, English and information technology, as well as offer medical services and travel planning at cultural centers, churches and shelters for the disabled.
Among the volunteers is Lin Ping-cheng (
Lin said that joining the overseas volunteer force is an important step in his career plan and in his pursuit of "pluralistic values."
"I'll do my utmost to serve the Panamanian people during my two-year stint here," he said.
Chen Chi-chien (
"I'm very pleased to be able to work overseas on a long-term basis, but I felt a bit disappointed when I saw so many modern buildings in Panama City on my way from the airport to the ROC's technical mission. I originally expected to work in a primitive jungle setting, serving those who most need medical services," Chen said, adding that she plans to join the ROC's medical service missions in Africa after her Panama contract expires.
The volunteers will receive intensive language training before starting their work.
Taipei began sending volunteers to Panama in 2000. Three of the 12 previous volunteers returned home before their contracts expired due to poor health or other personal reasons.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
RSS