President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) appealed to survivors of Typhoon Morakot yesterday to evacuate when necessary in the future, because if they don’t cooperate they would jeopardize government officials’ careers.
Continuing his “apology tour” in Kaohsiung County, Ma told Namasiya Township (那瑪夏) residents now staying at a military academy in Yanchao Township (燕巢) that they must realize the importance of relocation.
“If we don’t implement the mandatory evacuation, many people will call me incompetent and cold-blooded and blame me for causing so many to lose their lives,” he told his largely Aborigine audience. “How can you not evacuate people when their lives are in danger? So I’m begging you, evacuate when it is necessary.”
PHOTO: AFP/MILITARY NEWS AGENCY
Ma said he respected that residents might hold differing opinions, but noted that he and other officials would be held responsible for failing to prevent a disaster and save their lives, adding that the government was duty bound to evacuate people when it detected a genuine danger.
An estimated 3,500 Morakot survivors are staying at the academy in Yanchao.
During Ma’s visit, some people yelled: “Stop the water diversion project immediately” and “Stop projects damaging the environment at once.”
Residents of Namasiya, one of the hardest-hit areas in Kaohisung County, have decided to relocated to a piece of land owned by the state-owned Taiwan Sugar Corp near the Shanlin Junior High School, but to continue farming in the mountains.
Ma said he respected their decision and he had asked the Executive Yuan and Ministry of Finance to study the possibility of acquiring the land. He emphasized that the purpose of the post-Morakot reconstruction program was to return their life and homes to normal and said relocation would not be mandatory.
He, however, voiced concern over the safety of working in the mountains, and urged them to listen to the opinions of experts on the feasibility of farming or other activities.
Responding to concern that relocations might jeopardize their culture, Ma said the government would not “wipe out” their villages and that the special reconstruction project law passed by the legislature last week respects the tradition, practices and cultures of the Aborigines.
Namasiya residents asked the government to speed up efforts to locate the bodies of 20 or so people still buried in the mud. They also invited Ma to attend a memorial service to mark the 40th day after the death of the loved ones.
Ma also sat down with typhoon victims in Fangshan Township (枋山), Pingtung County, to listen to their grievances. He promised to work with private organizations such as the Red Cross to disburse cash relief aid with a minimum of red tape so the application process for relief would be simplified. He said he believed the road to recovery would not be too long or difficult.
“I promise you that rehabilitation will not be too hard to achieve,” Ma said.
As of Saturday, confirmed fatalities from Morakot had reached 571, with 106 others listed as missing, the Central Emergency Operation Center said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation