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Though Premier Cho Jung-tai has proven that he paid for his trip to Tokyo out of pocket, opposition parties continue to lambast the government over flights. Critics have linked Cho’s Japan trip to the evacuation of Taiwanese nationals in the Middle East. They say Cho was able to charter a plane to Tokyo, but the government wasn’t able to charter one to the conflict zone. The premier explained on Friday that the two situations were radically different, as there are many airspace closures in place in the Middle East. For now, the safety of nationals abroad is being watched over, with further arrangements to be made when the time comes. Let’s hear from Cho.

Cho Jung-tai
Premier
The transport ministry contacted them repeatedly. In the first few days, only flights from Emirates Airlines were operating. Etihad Airways had suspended operations and said they wouldn’t resume until the 13th. So there were no flights. If there were flights, would there still be people stranded there? If necessary, we will make arrangements to ensure people can return safely. But at the time, it was impossible to guarantee their safety, due to the airspace closures. It was only considered to be safer later on.

Xavier Chang
Executive Yuan Secretary-General
We only have three colleagues stationed at our representative office in Bahrain. One of them, the secretary, assisted three Taiwanese nationals on March 7, along with one Chinese national accompanying them. The secretary escorted them as they traveled from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia so that they could return to Taiwan. No matter where in the world, Taiwan’s diplomatic work involves many factors that are difficult to explain to people not involved in the situation. So we should all give our overseas colleagues more encouragement and support, instead of saying “They have money to watch a baseball game in Japan but none to help Taiwanese nationals return home.” That’s wasn’t the case at all. We helped those who needed assistance return to Taiwan by evacuating them overland or making arrangements with Emirates Airlines so that they could return home as fast as possible and according to their needs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, so far, the ministry and Taiwan’s overseas missions have assisted nearly 1,900 people in returning safely to Taiwan. For the 50 Taiwanese nationals who still require assistance to leave the country, the ministry and the relevant missions will continue to maintain the closest possible contact and provide necessary assistance based on developments in the region.

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