The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday cautioned Taiwanese on volunteering to fight in Ukraine against invading Russian forces, citing the government’s stance on looking after its citizens’ safety.
The ministry’s comments came after a person posted on Professional Technology Temple (PTT), the nation’s largest online bulletin board system, that they were willing, in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s call for volunteers, to join the fight.
The person wrote that the Polish Office in Taipei had told them that foreign militias must register at Ukraine’s embassy in Warsaw.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
The Polish office yesterday declined to comment on the issue.
The government’s stance is to safeguard the safety of Taiwanese, so the ministry would advise people against going to fight in Ukraine, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said, adding that, for the same reason, Taiwanese in Ukraine are advised to leave the country as soon as possible.
The government understands that some people might “be tempted” to travel to Ukraine to volunteer, but that for their safety and because of the dangers on the battlefield, the ministry is cautioning them against doing so, Ou said.
Photo: CNA
The government is supporting Ukraine by donating disaster relief and has strongly condemned the Russian invasion, Ou said.
Taiwan has also issued economic sanctions against Russia to show that it is in lockstep with the international community, she added.
On Wednesday, the ministry set up an official account for donations to Ukraine.
As of 5pm yesterday, the account had received NT$79.64 million (US$2.84 million) from 15,677 donors, the ministry said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday announced that it has donated NT$1 million to support Ukrainians’ fight for freedom and democracy.
Union Group, Rong San Lin Enterprise Co and Liberty Times group, which owns the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times), have jointly donated NT$15 million to the account.
Taipei Commissioner for External Affairs Tom Chou (周台竹) yesterday said that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has personally donated NT$100,000 to the cause.
The Taipei City Government is establishing a fund that would help Warsaw, Taipei’s sister city, to provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees pouring into the city, he added.
Additional reporting by Chen Ming-hsiang
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS