Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/19
By: Joseph Ho and Frances Huang

Reyhanli, Turkey, Sept. 19 (CNA) A ground breaking ceremony was held for a Taiwan-funded refuge center in Turkey near the border with war-torn Syria Thursday.

At the ceremony to mark the beginning of work on the Reyhanli Centre for World Citizens, Velalettin Guvenc, head of the Turkish parliament's interior committee expressed gratitude to Taiwan, saying although Taiwan is about 8,000 kilometers away and most Taiwanese are of a different religious persuasion to most Turks, they share the same humanitarian values.

The Turkish lawmaker said with the provision of financial aid to build the refugee center in Reyhanli, Hatay Province, southeastern Turkey, Taiwan was showing that Turkey does not have to deal with the refugee crisis on its border alone.

Since Syria plunged into civil war in 2011, almost 120,000 refugees from the country have fled to Reyhanli. Moreover, as the Turkish city has a population of about 100,000, the density of refugees to the local population is highest among all the Turkish cities along the border with Syria.
[FULL  STORY]