A group of Taiwanese in Italy on Friday said that they did not need the government to evacuate them as previously reported and are continuing their daily lives normally, despite an outbreak of COVID-19.
The statement, written in Mandarin, was posted on the Facebook page “Taiwanese in Italy” (旅義台人), which was created on Thursday and had attracted nearly 150 signatories as of yesterday.
“We have never requested an evacuation, nor were we asked if an evacuation is necessary. The sources cited by news reports about such a request do not represent our opinions,” it said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The statement follows remarks earlier this week from Milan, Italy-based Taiwanese businessperson Lai Tien-fu (賴天福), who questioned the Italian government’s response to the outbreak and urged Taiwan’s government to evacuate Taiwanese with charter flights.
The group said it decided to clarify the matter because its numbers have faced criticism following various rumors over the past few days.
Under the Italian government’s emergency order, people who need to leave the country for health, work or emergency reasons must first obtain approval on a case-by-case basis, the statement said.
“With legitimate reasons, we can still leave Italy by ourselves,” it said. “We will pay for the airfare, instead of using Taiwanese taxpayers’ money.”
“Italy is also our home,” it said. “We decide to stay in Italy because its rich and inclusive culture provides the fertile soil for our settlement.”
They do not face a “food shortage crisis” as some news reports have suggested, and are still allowed to go outdoors in local townships, although they are encouraged to stay at home, it added.
While some reports compared Italy’s lockdown to that of Wuhan, China, Italy is a democratic country like Taiwan, not a dictatorship, so it does not inhumanly “imprison” people, the statement said.
Despite some cases of prejudice against ethnic Chinese, most Italians are tolerant, and despite an occasional incident, Taiwanese have received help from Italians to become a part of society, it said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday also shared the group’s statement through its news release mailing system.
Responding to Lai’s request, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) told a news briefing on Tuesday that it had ordered its office in Rome to draw up plans for possible aid scenarios and that the office maintains contact with the nearly 450 Taiwanese in Italy.
Based on the situation in Italy, an evacuation is not needed, she said yesterday, adding that the ministry would make an announcement if the situation changes.
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