Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and National Police Administration Deputy Director-General Hsieh Hsiu-neng (謝秀能) yesterday urged the public to remain calm after four terrorist bombs rocked the British capital London's mass transit system on Thursday, killing at least 50 people.
"As of now, Taiwan is safe. There is no need to panic," the premier said.
He also said that the government for the time being is not planning on listing the UK as a place for tourists to avoid.
"There is no ongoing danger for visitors to the UK, so we are not planning on advising tourists against travelling there," he said.
Hsieh also expressed his sympathies for the victims and their families, and condemned the use of violence as a means of forwarding a political agenda.
"Killing is not right. Definitely not," he said.
The premier said that the current priority for the government was to ensure the safety of Taiwanese representatives and students in the UK.
Also, it is time for the government's law enforcement bodies and other agencies to review existing contingency plans and ensure that the relative branches of government could respond swiftly in the event of a terrorist attack on Taiwanese soil, he said.
When asked whether Taiwan will launch a mechanism to maintain public order after the London bombings, the premier said that there was no need.
"We have certain mechanisms in place in the event of a terrorist attack or during a state of heightened alert, and we follow those procedures whenever needed," the premier said. "Taiwan is still quite safe."
Echoing the premier's remarks, Hsieh Hsiu-neng said that local police officers are all familiar with anti-terrorist mechanisms and would be able to react immediately.
"I cannot reveal the details of the [anti-terrorist] mechanism, but I can assure you that the system is good enough to protect us," Hsieh Hsiu-neng said.
The deputy police chief said that when local law enforcement agencies got word of a bombing, they would immediately begin to tighten the security measures by assigning more officers to patrol the streets.
According to the deputy director-general, an anti-terrorist mechanism was launched in Taiwan after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. After the mechanism went into effect, law enforcement agencies and other branches of the government have periodically held several anti-terror drills.
"The police are just one part of the anti-terrorism mechanism. We are able to launch crackdown operations against terrorists at any time upon an order from the premier," Hsieh Hsiu-neng said.
Meanwhile, officials with the Ministry of Education yesterday said that no Taiwanese students studying in the UK had been injured in the blasts that ripped through London during rush hour Thursday morning, killing scores and injuring hundreds.
"We haven't heard any reports of Taiwanese nationals as being among the casualties. The [Ministry of Education] is keeping close contact with the Taipei Representative Office in the UK and will report any developments," said Chang Chin-sheng (張欽盛), a ministry official.
Chang said that British officials are still assessing the number of casualties, and the ministry will watch closely and keep in touch with the representative office to ensure that no Taiwanese people were involved.
The ministry called on all Taiwanese students in the UK to pay close attention to any warnings issued by British officials and avoid going to train stations and public places if possible.
They should also keep in touch with their families here. Should students encounter any difficulties, they can contact Taipei representative office in the UK, officials said.
Ministry figures showed that there are currently around 30,000 Taiwanese studying in the UK.
About 5,000 of the students are attending colleges and universities around the country, while around 25,000 are attending language schools.
additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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