Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chih-feng (蘇治芬) yesterday said that the Vietnamese government did not give any explanation for a series of difficulties she encountered on a trip this week.
Su and her entourage returned from Vietnam yesterday after a five-day trip to learn more about a pollution incident involving a Formosa Plastics Group steel mill in Ha Tinh Province, visit a Catholic orphanage in Vinh and purchase Vietnamese children’s books to promote mother-tongue education in Yunlin County.
Su said her passport was temporarily held at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, the group was prohibited from visiting the orphanage and they were followed on a trip to the steel mill.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“The Vietnamese government did not make any direct or indirect contact with us,” she said. “I still do not understand why my passport was held by airline clerks.”
Su’s passport was held for unknown reasons when the group was to fly to Vinh.
After Representative to Vietnam Richard Shih (石瑞琦) negotiated with Vietnamese officials, the group was told that they were not allowed to visit the orphanage, so they canceled that event and went to Ha Tinh by bus, Su said.
While media reports said that Su was blocked because the church is an “anti-[Vietnamese] government” organization, Su said she was totally unaware of the church’s political nature and they simply wanted to visit the orphanage for charity purposes.
“I do not know any so-called anti-government people or dissidents,” she said.
“I still do not know whether the church leadership are anti-government,” she added.
Brushing aside speculation that her passport was held because the group planned to visit places not listed on her visa application, Su said they went to Vietnam on tourist visas and they were never asked to provide an itinerary, so there was no conflict between the planned trip and where they actually went.
They were never asked to explain the purpose of their travel, but they were not given any explanation for the situation, Su said, adding that the group never met any Vietnamese officials, while negotiations were conducted by Shih.
In Ha Tinh, the group was followed by plainclothes police officers and they had to ask permission to visit places, Su said. The police arranged a visit to a head massage parlor and watched during the time there.
“It is impossible to feel comfortable while being followed,” she said.
Su quoted chemist Ding Guo-tsuen (丁國村), who was with the group, as saying that the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp plant is a world-class facility, but that could not prevent human error.
She said that even after the visit, the group did not understand anything about the pollution incident other than what was reported by the media, but she questioned the transparency of the Vietnamese government’s investigation.
Hanoi said the plant was responsible for causing a mass fish die-off in the province and downstream areas in April.
“We cannot reach a definite conclusion on the pollution incident,” Su said. “The Vietnamese government is obliged to make its investigation report public.”
Su reaffirmed her endorsement of the government’s “new southbound policy” amid concerns that the issues she faced on the trip might spell its failure.
The presence of Taiwanese companies is strong in Vietnam and Vietnamese are energetic and friendly toward Taiwanese, she said.
‘LOW PROBABILITY’: China still ‘has a ways to go to develop the actual, no-kidding capability’ to seize Taiwan militarily, US General Mark Milley said The US’ top general on Thursday downplayed concern that China would attempt a military takeover of Taiwan in the near term, saying Beijing does not have the capability to do so. While there has been rising concern in Taiwan and among US lawmakers about Chinese military activity near Taiwan, such as flying jets in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), US military officials said that such moves are not overly concerning. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told lawmakers that while Taiwan was still a core national interest of China, “there’s little intent right now, or motivation,
A Kaohsiung woman who thought that she was dating Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves was found not guilty of abetting fraud, the Kaohsiung District Court has ruled. Citing insufficient evidence to prove intent, the court on May 27 dismissed fraud and money-laundering charges against the woman, surnamed Chang (張), saying that the evidence suggested that she had been duped. The verdict can be appealed. The verdict said that police opened an investigation into Chang after her bank account was linked to an online catfishing scheme, which involves luring someone into a relationship by using a fictional online persona. The scheme claimed two victims, including a
The Canadian House of Commons on Thursday unanimously passed the first reading of a proposal to create a legal framework for efforts to strengthen relations with Taiwan. The Canada-Taiwan Relations Framework Act was introduced by Canadian Member of Parliament Michael Cooper, who said that not having a formal diplomatic relationship with Taiwan has complicated interactions between the two nations. Taiwan is one of Canada’s largest trading partners, and the two share strong people-to-people links and common values, he said. Taiwan “is a vibrant economy and one of the world’s top 20 economies. It is time Canada’s relations with Taiwan reflect
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday condemned Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Institute of Revolutionary Practice director Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) for calling the government a “vaccine beggar” for receiving a donation of COVID-19 vaccines from the US. “Lo is still living in feudal China,” DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) told a news conference. “When Taiwan needs unity, he uses malicious words to malign our president’s character and Taiwan’s national integrity. This person is either evil or he is completely ignorant,” she said. Taiwan donated 2 million masks to the US, and provided 2 million masks and 50,000 protective gowns to Japan when they
RSS