A volunteer group consisting primarily of Indonesian construction workers yesterday traveled to Hualien County's Guangfu Township (光復) to clear the streets of mud and debris left by floodwaters, providing much-needed assistance to areas devastated after a barrier lake collapsed.
The Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake on Tuesday last week burst after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded eastern Taiwan with heavy rains. An estimated 60 million tonnes of muddy water rushed downstream into Guangfu Township, covering the streets in thick mud.
Huang Jung-tun (黃榮墩), founder of the non-governmental organization Welldoer House, organized the cleanup campaign online, appealing for volunteers.
Photo courtesy of Welldoer House
About 40 Indonesians and 10 Vietnamese, who mostly work at construction sites in Taiwan, answered the call, said Tsai I-yang (蔡翼陽), a member of Welldoer House.
Equipped with helmets, rain boots and shovels, they gathered at Hualien Station at 5am and departed for Guangfu.
Kholis Anwar, one of the Indonesian volunteers who works at an auto repair shop, said that he wanted to show solidarity with those affected by the disaster.
Photo courtesy of Welldoer House
"I was free today [yesterday], so I made plans to help," Kholis said.
"When I arrived, the roads were still muddy, with some puddles. Most household items on the ground floor had been damaged beyond repair and mud had poured into the buildings," he said.
Kholis said his interactions with locals were warm.
"They were happy [to see us] and did not forget to say thank you to us and give us all a thumbs-up," he said.
For nine years, Welldoer House has routinely distributed aid to migrant workers at fishing ports, Huang said.
He said he hopes that these actions will reduce discrimination against migrant workers in Taiwan and increase the public's understanding and appreciation of their contributions to society.
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
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS