HOTLINE ABUSE: Offices would only assist those who encounter serious crimes that threaten their personal safety, such as murder and sexual assault
Taipei Times
Date: Oct 31, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced a series of new measures to
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General James Lee, left, attends a news conference to announce the ministry’s emergency assistance procedures and hotlines in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of its emergency assistance to overseas Taiwanese, as more than 90 percent of callers who contacted the nation’s emergency hotlines last year were not actually in serious trouble.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General James Lee (李光章) at a news conference in Taipei said that to prevent the nation’s emergency hotlines from being abused for trivial matters, the ministry has revised its guidelines governing emergency assistance to Taiwanese traveling overseas to give the public a clearer idea of what kinds of situations constitute an emergency.
The guidelines previously stipulated that overseas offices were required to help victims of criminal activities report their case to a local police bureau. However, under the revised version, assistance would only be provided to those who have encountered serious crimes that threaten their personal safety, such as murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, Lee said. [FULL STORY]
