Taiwan ramps up relief efforts in aftermath of Sichuan quake

This article was written by Edwin Hsiao and published by the Taiwan Journal on May 29, 2008. It reports that Taiwan's government and citizens continued to send cash donations, supplies and relief teams to China, three weeks after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Sichuan Province on May 12. With over 65,000 dead and many thousands missing, it is the worst quake to hit the country in almost 30 years.

Members of the public who wish to donate money can do so via a special account set up by the Mainland Affairs Council at the Bank of Taiwan. As of May 28, the account held US$25 million.

At the first Cabinet meeting held under Ma's presidency on May 22, the government instructed authorities, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Department of Health and the Mainland Affairs Council, to work out a series of reconstruction and rehabilitation measures. Government officials also cited Taiwan's experience in dealing with the aftermath of the September 21, 1999 earthquake that claimed more than 2,000 lives.

These initiatives, which will be coordinated by the government's National Disasters Prevention and Protection Commission, will be drafted to offer shelter, medical care, disease prevention and psychological counseling to victims of the natural disaster. Additional food, drinking water and medical supplies will also be included in the measures, as well as a group of experts to monitor the small lakes that were formed by the powerful temblor. Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation will extend this assistance to its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.

Earlier in May, the government had also dispatched planes from each of the country's four carriers -- Mandarin Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Airways Corp. and TransAsia Airways -- to bring home around 1,000 Taiwanese tourists stranded in the devastated province.

Taiwan's public has been quick to follow the government's initiative in the aftermath of the earthquake, lending assistance to the mainland by donating to a number of fundraising campaigns. Such drives include one jointly organized by the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China and TVBS Network that raised nearly US$1.29 million to rebuild destroyed schools, and a separate campaign sponsored by the Taipei-based China Television Co., CTiTV Inc., and the RCS that collected US$7.2 million in only four hours on the evening of May 18.

Taiwan's corporate world has also positioned itself at the forefront of humanitarian efforts, so far contributing over US$160 million in cash donations and relief supplies. To date, Formosa Plastic, Evergreen and Foxconn Technology are the three Taiwan companies that have donated the most, contributing a combined total of US$33 million.

Authorities in Beijing expressed their gratitude for Taiwan's sincere efforts. "The public on the mainland will always appreciate, cherish and remember the kindness and chivalrous acts of Taiwanese people," said representatives of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the PRC State Council. They added that China welcomed the RCS branch in Taiwan to send rescue teams and participate in relief operations in the disaster zone.

China's semi-official Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits also thanked Taiwan on May 15 for Taiwan's offer of help, expressing such sentiments in the form of a letter mailed to the SEF.

Outlining the overwhelming nature of the task involved, the RCS told the press that one rescue team it had helped organize entered the province on May 16, but cut short its mission after only two days, due to the huge piles of rubble that hampered operations. However, the group continued its humanitarian mission by dispatching medical experts to An and Beichuan counties, helping to treat more than 1,000 quake victims before returning to Taiwan.

Other local religious organizations in Taiwan, such as the Buddhist humanitarian groups Tzu Chi Foundation and the Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation, have organized their own relief efforts.

Tzu Chi has so far sent three teams to Sichuan. The first two have already returned to Taiwan, whereas the third 21-member team departed for the disaster zone on May 26. The charity organization has set up three missions to provide medical treatment and hot food to quake victims.

The DDM provided assistance in the form of a US$100,000 donation to Xiushui Town in An County. The funds were for the manufacture of water-purifying facilities and for the purchase of drinking water, as the original water tower in the town of 30,000 inhabitants was destroyed by the quake.