Premier Wu briefed on the ROC's humanitarian assistance to Haiti

Premier Wu Den-yih was briefed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday (March 4) regarding earthquake disaster humanitarian assistance provided by Taiwan to Haiti, as well as plans to assist in the post-disaster reconstruction initiative there.

Following the presentation, Premier Wu observed that the Republic of China and Haiti have been formal diplomatic partners for over 50 years, and diplomatic ties between the two countries are solid and stable. The recent disaster situation in Haiti was extremely serious due to the severity of the earthquake. At the first moment following the disaster, the ROC pooled private sector resources and adopted various humanitarian relief measures to help. Donations from the government and private sector totaled nearly US$16 million, and President Ma Ying-jeou personally traveled to Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, to express concern and present donations to Haitian officials. This was soundly affirmed at home and abroad, he said.

The premier pointed out that the ROC will continue actively participating in the reconstruction of Haiti, providing assistance for public health and medical care, the resettlement of disaster victims, vocational training and employment, as well as the adoption of orphans. He directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to call on Taiwan’s experience with rebuilding following the September 21, 1999 earthquake and the flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Morakot in early August of last year, hold discussions as soon as possible and come up with a reconstruction plan for Haiti. There should also be study of the feasibility of reducing Haiti’s financial burden, he said, to demonstrate the generosity of the people of Taiwan, maximize the ROC’s soft diplomatic power and raise the status and profile of the ROC in the international community.　

The South American nation of Chile suffered a strong earthquake on February 27, Wu continued, and media reports indicated that the disaster situation there was dire. He noted that, although the ROC and Chile do not have diplomatic relations, the ROC government has announced a donation of US$200,000 to the Chilean government and will monitor the disaster situation to provide necessary assistance. He instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue public statements at the appropriate time on what measures are being taken.