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Taiwan’s President Apologizes For Government Response To Mor...

by Yuliya Talmazan | August 16, 2009 at 08:03 pm

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Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said the government is 'sorry' for its failure to respond faster to typhoon Morakot that ravaged parts of Taiwan last week, leading to hundreds of deaths and billions lost in property damage. Thousands of people have been left homeless. Some are still stranded. The people of Taiwan expressed their anger with the government's response to the typhoon, but Ma said he would not resign over it. He asserted that the reconstruction work has begun and promised more financial aid to those affected. Ma said the government will also review its future emergency response plans.

“We weren’t better or quicker. We feel very sorry,” Ma said in comments broadcast on local television today.

“The government is reacting way too slowly and there should be more coordination between the central government and the rest of Taiwan,” former Premier Su Tseng-chang, a member of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, said yesterday.

"Local officials don't care," one man said. "There are still people there and they don't do anything."

Meanwhile, foreign aid from the U.S., Australia and many other nations has started arriving in Taiwan.

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Babel-Fish

at 22:18 on August 16th, 2009

Things like this should be viewed as a learning experience to all concerned its shown a big loop hole that now needs to be breached. Ma Ying-jeou should put more effort into breaching than offering apologies or resigning he has now a big responsibility...