Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Restaurants get off to a quick start thanks to game-changing policies
High service charges on event ticket refunds call for further regulation
Sunday
- Subscribe
Ma vows storm-response probe
By Ralph Jennings |
August 19, 2009, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TAIWAN leader Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that his administration would investigate officials for being slow in rescue efforts after Typhoon Morakot, which killed an estimated 500 people and is expected to hamper the economy in the short term.
Ma told a news conference that the government would announce by early September whether any one would be held responsible.
"We will have a review of the performance of the government to make sure to identify the mistakes," Ma said, after bowing in apology. "And then we will start the investigation and punishment process."
Last week, the government replaced the island's Fire Agency's disaster center chief with Mao Chi-kuo, head of the transport authority, after criticism from the public that the previous chief was too slow off the mark in rescue operations.
Morakot, the island's worst typhoon in 50 years, hit Taiwan over a week ago. So far, the official death toll is at 127, with over 300 more missing.
Ma said six rescuers died in rescue operation.
Post-disaster search and rescue work will become a big job for Taiwan, Ma said, adding that the government would cut back purchases of US military helicopters to spend T$10 billion on disaster relief equipment.
Torrential rains caused mudslides, which destroyed roads, wiped out villages in the south and caused farm-related losses of T$13 billion. The overall typhoon damage total will reach as high as T$110 billion, Ma said.
Ma said the typhoon would likely hurt the tech-reliant economy in the third quarter, in line with analysts' expectations.
Ma told a news conference that the government would announce by early September whether any one would be held responsible.
"We will have a review of the performance of the government to make sure to identify the mistakes," Ma said, after bowing in apology. "And then we will start the investigation and punishment process."
Last week, the government replaced the island's Fire Agency's disaster center chief with Mao Chi-kuo, head of the transport authority, after criticism from the public that the previous chief was too slow off the mark in rescue operations.
Morakot, the island's worst typhoon in 50 years, hit Taiwan over a week ago. So far, the official death toll is at 127, with over 300 more missing.
Ma said six rescuers died in rescue operation.
Post-disaster search and rescue work will become a big job for Taiwan, Ma said, adding that the government would cut back purchases of US military helicopters to spend T$10 billion on disaster relief equipment.
Torrential rains caused mudslides, which destroyed roads, wiped out villages in the south and caused farm-related losses of T$13 billion. The overall typhoon damage total will reach as high as T$110 billion, Ma said.
Ma said the typhoon would likely hurt the tech-reliant economy in the third quarter, in line with analysts' expectations.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
