President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday canceled scheduled events to focus on relief work in the wake of torrential downpours that have dumped huge amounts of rainfall on the nation, promising efficient disaster management in affected areas.
Ma presided over an emergency response meeting at the Central Emergency Operation Center in New Taipei City (新北市) and traveled to Nantou County to inspect disaster-hit areas. He paid a visit to hillside residents who were evacuated to temporary shelters and stressed the importance of early evacuation in the wake of natural disasters.
“Heavy rains can bring more serious consequences than typhoons and we’ve learned from past experience that early evacuation is a crucial preventive measure to reduce casualties,” he said
As Ma promised to focus government efforts on relief work in the aftermath of the rain, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would fully cooperate with the government’s disaster-relief work, urging the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to stop what it called an irrational boycott of a draft bill that would allow the import of beef containing a controversial feed additive.
“The KMT is cooperating with the government’s efforts on disaster-relief work and nothing is more important than helping people in the wake of such disasters,” said Chuang Po-chung (莊伯仲), head of the KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee.
“We urge the DPP to stop its irrational boycott and meaningless fight in the legislature and allow the major bills that concern the nation’s future to pass the legislature. It would only meet the people’s expectation if we work together on relief work,” he said.
The KMT’s Central Standing Committee is canceling a scheduled report today on issues related to beef imports containing ractopamine and will instead invite Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Sheng-chung (林聖忠) to present a report on the government’s handling of disasters in the wake of the torrential rain.
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