A first batch of donations from Taiwan for survivors of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Turkey arrived in the country yesterday morning, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation said.
The donations, including 1,358 boxes containing 8,148 blankets, arrived at 5:30am as part of international relief efforts after the earthquake struck on Monday last week, the foundation said.
After their arrival, the supplies would be transported on a domestic flight to Adana airport, the operational airport that is closest to the affected area, where they would be distributed by local authorities, it said.
Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, REUTERS
The foundation said it is working with the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei to accept donations at the Buddhist group’s office in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖).
It said it accepts newly bought winter clothes for adults and children, beds, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, mattresses, blankets, thermos flasks, flashlights, diapers, sanitary pads, and cleaning and hygiene items.
The 150 tonnes of donations was loaded onto an airplane at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Space Agency
The Turkish office at the time said it expected them to arrive in Turkey yesterday evening.
Turkish Representative to Taiwan Muhammed Berdibek yesterday said the amount of donations the office received was overwhelming.
It temporarily stopped accepting donations at 5pm yesterday, ahead of the original deadline on Wednesday, he added.
However, the office later said that people who had already bought relief items for Turkey could bring them in until 5pm today.
Berdibek said the relief process is expected to take months or years.
If Turkey needs more assistance from Taiwan, the office would make an announcement, because “we know you are so generous and so kind,” he said.
Meanwhile, Huang Qiu-liang (黃秋良), a volunteer at the foundation who is helping handle donations at its Neihu liaison office, said that more than 1,000 volunteers had been helping at the office each day since Friday.
They accept donations and prepare them for transport to Taoyuan airport, Huang said
Today, the Taiwanese military is scheduled to dispatch 10 trucks and 30 personnel to help transfer supplies to the airport, he said.
They would be loaded onto a Turkish Airlines plane and sent to Turkey as soon as possible, Huang added.
Huang said only new items would be accepted, citing hygiene and COVID-19 concerns.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS