Rising US-Iran tensions prompted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday to convene a high-level national security meeting to discuss the government’s responses, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said.
Cabinet ministers and agency heads briefed Tsai on the impact of a potential escalation of the crisis and the president ordered officials to take steps to safeguard the nation’s financial system, energy supply, Taiwanese in the Middle East and peace in the Taiwan Strait, Huang told a press conference.
She also decided to raise the alert level for the military ahead of tomorrow’s elections, he said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Financial Supervisory Commission and the central bank were told to closely monitor the stock and currency markets, ensure their basic operational capabilities and take measures to stabilize the nation’s finances if necessary, Huang said.
“Taiwan has a solid economic base and such measures are aimed at possible short-term effects” from the potential deterioration of US-Iran relations, he cited Tsai as telling the meeting.
The president said that national crude reserves could provide energy for more than 100 days, so the public should not worry, as the authorities would ensure that prices remain balanced and that people’s daily lives would not be affected, Huang added.
Tsai told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor developments, ensure that it can contact Taiwanese residents and travelers in the region and draw up a contingency plan for their evacuation, if necessary, he said.
The Ministry of National Defense was told to closely monitor the Strait to prevent China from making any moves while the US’ attention is focused on the Middle East, he said.
The security meeting was attended by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General David Lee (李大維), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), National Security Bureau Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正), NSC Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) and NSC Adviser Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉).
The foreign ministry late on Wednesday night issued a red travel alert for Iraq and four Iranian provinces, its highest level alert.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS