The government will continue to support a humanitarian group in the Czech Republic that provides services to Ukrainian refugees, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the group in Prague on Tuesday said.
The MOU paves the way for a new round of cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech group — People in Need — in a joint effort to assist Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, the ministry said on Wednesday.
Through the joint project, the Czech group would provide shelter for young Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing war at home and offer counseling services to refugees in the Czech Republic, ministry said.
Photo: Huang Chin-hsuen, Taipei Times
With a budget of US$283,252, the project, which is to run until the end of this year, is expected to help 4,825 displaced Ukrainians, the ministry told the Central News Agency, without specifying if the government would be the source of the funding.
Taiwan in 2022 donated US$1 million to People in Need to support its programs aiding the education and integration of displaced Ukrainian children in Czech schools, along with other assistance.
The US$1 million in funding was part of the US$32 million that the ministry raised from private citizens in Taiwan shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The MOU was signed between Representative to the Czech Republic Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡) and People in Need executive director Simon Panek.
The deal was lauded by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中), who took part in the signing ceremony remotely from Taipei, as another “milestone” for Taiwan-Czechia collaborations in their help for Ukraine, the ministry said in a news release.
Panek was cited in the release as expressing gratitude for Taiwan’s aid to Ukraine, citing how countless Ukrainian refugees had benefited from Taiwan’s support.
The ministry in its release also reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to supporting Ukraine as the war continues and to keep working with the Czech Republic to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
Czech Commissioner for Human Rights Klara Simackova Laurencikova also took part in the signing ceremony in Prague, the release said.
Founded in 1992, People in Need has grown to become the largest humanitarian organization in the Czech Republic and one of the most important non-governmental organizations in central and eastern Europe, the ministry said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
RSS