Taiwan welcome Foreign Aids for Typhoon Vicitims

Taiwan government welcomed typhoon relief aid from China as well from other countries.

President Ma Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou made the remarks on Thursday in response to the questions from reporters while in Madou township, where the pomelo harvest was almost totally wiped out by Morakot over the weekend.

According to the president, as of Wednesday evening, the United States, Japan, Singapore and China had offered monetary and aid to Taiwan and the government had accepted.

Speaking after a weekly Cabinet meeting later Thursday, Vice Premier Chiu Cheng-hsiung said the president gave him instructions by phone that morning to have the relevant agencies immediately compile a list of the relief items needed.

Citing Premier Liu Chao-shiuan's remarks in the meeting, Government Information Office Spokesman Su Jun-pin said the same day that Taiwan welcomes donations from other countries.

"The United States has donated US$250,000, Japan 10 million yen, China 111 million yuan and Singapore US$200,000 and 50,000 Singapore dollars worth of medicines," Su noted.

According to Su, the government will publish a detailed list of the items that it needs and will ask for international assistance to improve its rescue and relief operations.

"The list might include personnel, aircraft and heavy machinery," he added.

As of Thursday, the Ministry of Economic Affairs had requested 100,000 bottles of disinfectant and 200,000 chlorine pills, the Department of Health had called for 1,500 disinfection machines, and the national research center had requested six rescue helicopters, he added.