Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/13
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) Taiwan’s representative office in Japan will review its emergency response mechanism, including beefing up its communication with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, to offer better services to its overseas nationals in post-natural disaster assistance efforts, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said Wednesday.

Wu’s comments came in response to criticism of the office and its top representative, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), for not doing enough to help 1,000 Taiwanese tourists stranded in Japan after it was hit by a super typhoon and a magnitude 6.7 earthquake last week.

An online post accused Taiwan’s office in Osaka of being reluctant to help Taiwanese there who sought assistance after massive flooding caused by Typhoon Jebi led to the closure of Kansai International Airport.

The post sparked criticism by netizens who blamed Hsieh for not doing his job, instead spending his time sparring with his political enemies, just when stranded Taiwanese tourists needed his office’s help the most.    [FULL  STORY]