The Panamanian government has vowed to return US$500,000 of unused Taiwan aid originally earmarked for a children's museum, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.
However, ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
"This case was one of cooperation. As such, there needs to be understanding [between the two parties] and the maintenance of interaction," Lu told the Taipei Times yesterday.
Ministry donations made during former president Mireya Moscoso's administration had originally been intended for construction on a children's museum called the Toucan Museum. However, Lu yesterday revealed that the museum had been completed with only a portion of the aid, and that Panama had promised Ambassador David Hu (
Recent reports from Panama have pointed to the improper use of Taiwan's donations in the country.
A report from the DPA wire service earlier this week said a team of auditors, appointed by President Martin Torrijos after taking office this month, had uncovered "irregularities" involving aid from Taiwan to the previous administration.
According to the report, Torrijos' investigation found that of the US$45 million donated by Taiwan to the Southern Sea Foundation, an organization created by the Panamanian government to promote social programs, US$10 million had been used to open four investment accounts and a savings account at Panabank. The report also confirmed that a portion of the donated funds had been earmarked for the construction of a children's museum.
Media reports also had said that US$6 million allocated to the museum had been remitted by Taiwan to Panama in the last few days of the previous Panamanian government's administration, causing Torrijos to launch an investigation into the matter.
Lu denied the validity of the reports.
"The funds were given earlier on. When President Chen (
While Lu said he did not know exactly when all allocated funds had been transferred, he pointed out that construction could not have been completed without the aid.
Lu also dismissed speculation that the ministry planned to replace Hu in connection with the alleged last-minute donations to the Toucan Museum.
Lu characterized Hu's interaction with the new Panamanian administration as "normal." Lu also denied that the Panamanian government's probe had been focused on aid from Taiwan, saying that it was an overall investigation into the use of foreign aid in Panama.
Hu, meanwhile, told the Central News Agency that he had not received instructions from the ministry with regard to any changes to his posting. If changes were to be made, however, he said now was an optimal time, given the power shift in Panama and the fact that his posting had lasted three and a half years already.
Panama was also one of four diplomatic allies that did not speak on behalf of Taiwan's membership proposal during the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS