Lawmakers across party lines questioned Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) yesterday over the cash donation the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially offered to Japan.
The initial amount of US$300,000 was considered small by several lawmakers at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
The ministry had issued a statement on Friday announcing it would donate US$300,000 to Japan to help with disaster relief hours after the northeastern part of Honshu island was struck by a massive earthquake and powerful tsunami.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The amount was raised to NT$100 million (US$3,382,000) the next day in an announcement by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
In response, Yang told the lawmakers that the initial donation was offered when the disaster did not appear that serious and out of concern over limited budget earmarked under the ministry for the purpose of international aid.
The donation, which has yet to be given to Tokyo, will be funded from the annual budget of NT$300 million earmarked under the ministry for the purpose of international aid programs, Yang said.
Yang added that Taiwan had offered to send rescue teams to Japan from the outset, but Japan initially asked Taiwan to hold off because of logistical concerns.
Yang said Japan told Taiwan on Sunday night it welcomed a Taiwanese rescue team if they can work without logistical support as the Japanese government was unable to provide assistance at a time when the situation in disaster-affected areas was in a state of chaos.
As for the list of humanitarian aid Japan has requested from Taiwan, the ministry said it has collected most of the items through donations made by the public, charity groups or purchased by the ministry, and that the first batch of relief supplies sent arrived in Japan yesterday.
China Airlines, Taiwan’s largest carrier, said it was working with the relief mission and that it had landed 5,100kg of relief supplies, including blankets, sleeping bags, jackets and food rations at Haneda Airport on the same flight that was carrying a 28-member search and rescue team from Taiwan.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Academics have expressed mixed views on President William Lai’s (賴清德) nomination of High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明) as a Constitutional Court justice and the head of the nation’s top judicial body. While prosecutors have served as justices at the Constitutional Court over the years, including Judy Ju (朱富美), an incumbent, the appointment of a prosecutor as president of the Judicial Yuan, which presides over the Constitutional Court, would be unprecedented. Retired law professor Lin Teng-yao (林騰鷂) said that Tsai’s nomination was an “abuse” of power by Lai, and called on the legislature, in which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
RSS