Taiwan’s government on Friday donated US$50,000 to Brazil to help the country cope with devastating floods in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul that began last last month.
Shortly after the worst floods since 1941 hit the southern state on April 29, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Sao Paulo Director Fong Kuang-jong (馮光中) conveyed concerns on behalf of Taiwan to the state government.
On Friday Fong and office staff visited the affected city Caxias do Sul, where he made the US$50,000 donation.
The donation was received by Gustavo Paim, a state government official, on behalf of Rio Grande do Su Governor Eduardo Leitel, during a ceremony witnessed by 80 people from several sectors in Brazil.
Fong said the overseas Taiwanese community in Brazil has delivered essential supplies to the disaster areas and that he believed victims in Rio Grande do Sul could return to normal life as soon as possible with assistance from the Brazilian central and local governments and people from all walks of life in the country.
At the event, Paim said he was very grateful to the Taiwanese government for providing immediate assistance in times of crisis.
Rio Grande do Sul Legislative Assembly member Guilherme Pasin said that people in the state would not forget the assistance Taiwan provided to Brazil.
Universidade de Caxias do Sul president Gelson Leonardo Rech said that Taiwan provided disease prevention supplies to the city of Caxias do Sul during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that this time it has again shown a humanitarian spirit that Brazil can learn from.
The Caxias do Sul city government said that Taiwan is the first country in Asia where the government and private sector have jointly assisted flood-ravaged Brazil.
Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal and other countries are also providing material assistance, it added.
The floods have wreaked havoc across 441 of 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, critically damaging infrastructure, including roads and bridges, and causing the partial collapse of a dam at a hydroelectric plant.
The death toll has reached 126, and at least 141 others are still missing, data compiled by the state’s civil defense authority showed.
About 300,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by the floods in the state, data from the Brazilian National Confederation of Municipalities showed.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
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
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS