* Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent a telegram to his US counterpart George W. Bush to express his condolences after airplane terror attacks in the United States destroyed New York's World Trade Centre, set the Pentagon afire, and triggered fear and panic.
"President Chen Shui-bian was shocked," his office said in a statement. "Aside from condemning this kind of violent acts, he also expressed condolences to the relatives of victims."
* Taiwan instructed its diplomatic missions in the US on Wednesday to protect overseas Chinese following the terrorist attacks.
The Foreign Ministry said it had instructed Taiwan's 13 representative offices in the US to form emergency taskforces to protect overseas Chinese.
"As of now, we have not heard of overseas Chinese or Taiwan nationals being killed or injured in the attacks," the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan does not have an embassy in the US because Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Since then, Taiwan has opened 13 representative offices in the US to serve as Taiwan's diplomatic missions.
* Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) was forced to postpone his return from Hawaii as the United States closed airports nationwide in response to horrifying terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the Government Information Office said Wednesday.
Premier Chang, who arrived in Hawaii Monday for a transit stop after a four-leg visit to the Caribbean aimed at cementing relations with the Republic of China's diplomatic allies, was originally scheduled to return to Taipei Wednesday afternoon.
GIO officials said Premier Chang's new return schedule will be announced later.
Premier Chang left Taipei Sept. 1 for his first diplomatic tour since assuming office last October. He has visited four ROC allies in the East Caribbean -- Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada -- during his trip.
* Taiwan stepped up security at all defense and military installations following the devastating terror attacks in the United States, defense authorities said Wednesday.
Defense Minister Wu Shih-wen (伍世文) and Chief of Staff General Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) ordered all troops "to enforce safeguarding security on all military units and important facilities," a defense ministry statement said.
"All high-ranking officers were ordered to stay at their posts," the statement said.
Troop operations remained normal, it added.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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