Polish Office in Taipei Director Cyryl Kozaczewski yesterday expressed thanks to Taiwan for aiding Ukrainian refugees, during his speech at a commemoration in Taipei of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The event was held at the 228 Peace Memorial Park, and Ludzie, a film about the Russian-Ukrainian war, was screened.
It has been more than a decade since Russia illegally annexed Crimea, and Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine’s Bucha and Mariupol should not be forgotten, Kozaczewski said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Ludzie is important, as it shows the lives of Ukrainian women and children under Russian aggression, since news media and political commentators focus only on the battlefield and casualties, he said.
“Ukraine will defend its sovereignty, and it will defend it with the support of friends. Each contribution, each support ... is a small brick that builds in Ukraine the wall ... against Russian aggression,” Kozaczewski said.
European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner in his remarks also said that people should remember what has happened in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The number of casualties cannot represent the life stories of numerous Ukrainians and families, he said, adding that the EETO would continue to support Ukraine.
Ukrainians’ lives have been under threat of war since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine East Asian Office head Mariia Makarovych said.
Ukraine has sustained great losses and tragedies in the war, as Taiwan did in the 228 Massacre in 1947, she said.
Ukrainians would strive to fight for democracy, she added.
Separately yesterday, the government pledged more humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
Since the full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, Taipei has stood with like-minded countries to help Ukraine, particularly in terms of humanitarian needs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The ministry said it has also been keeping abreast of the latest developments in the war and the views of European countries, as the US and Russia hold peace talks.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the US has been the Kyiv’s biggest supporter, but over the past few weeks the dynamics seem to have shifted, as US President Donald Trump has been excluding Ukraine from peace talks, which has drawn criticism from Kyiv and some of Washington’s European partners.
The government has been giving humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, providing medical equipment and daily necessities, Department of European Affairs Deputy Director-General Josephine Lee (李秀窈) said on Feb. 11.
Taiwan has also been helping the Ukrainian government and people rebuild their infrastructure, including roads, schools, hospitals, and water and electricity systems, she added.
As of this month, Taiwan has allocated more than US$130 million for Ukrainian infrastructure projects, such as bridges, hospitals, churches and schools, while private donations for the war-torn country have exceeded US$32 million, the ministry said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS