In this morning's meeting of the Executive Yuan's task force for responding to the riots in Vietnam, Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to summon Vietnam's representative to Taiwan again today to request assurance that there would not be similar riots in the future and demand there be enough military or police manpower to safeguard Taiwanese businesspeople, their family members and other expatriates there.
In addition, Vice Premier Mao emphasized that Taiwan would claim compensation for its citizens' losses in the riots in the near future and would fight for their rights.
The vice premier instructed the MOFA to take stock of and confirm Taiwanese businesspeople's temporary accommodation conditions, get a handle on the circumstances in each area and report back promptly.
It is hoped that if a similar international event takes place in the future, the government can open a new inter-ministerial liaison platform such as this one to obtain the latest information through diverse communication channels to facilitate timely responses.
Since May 14, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) has spared no efforts coordinating with domestic airlines to offer sufficient flight seats to Taiwan for Taiwanese citizens stranded in Vietnam. A CAA official said that through today each flight since the riots broke out has had empty seats, so no one has had difficulty getting a ticket. With the government's coordination, the airlines have cooperated fully to help transport travelers back to Taiwan, regardless of the cost.
Today the administration again coordinated with airlines to send large airliners to Ho Chi Minh City, and the planes for two regular return flights were exchanged with larger aircrafts which contained 222 more seats. These actions brought the total number of seats available to 1,842; according to the airlines' reservation data, there were still more than 200 open seats for flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Taiwan today.
There is sufficient transport capacity for trips from Vietnam to Taiwan, the CAA said. The agency has already established an ad hoc task force dedicated to the issue which is monitoring demand for airplane tickets, and it will continue to keep an eye on developments in Vietnam in case there are anti-Chinese demonstrations on Sunday, May 18. It has prepared transport distribution contingency measures and is coordinating with airlines to add flights or larger aircraft to Vietnam as necessary to bring Taiwanese home. The above measures will remain in place until at least the 18th and will not be lifted until the potential crisis has concluded.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has stated that the riots have more or less let up, and the ministry's Department of Investment Services has set up a service window for Taiwanese businesspeople in Vietnam to receive expert aid in dealing with their financial losses they have incurred.
Moreover, the economic division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City has hired Vietnamese lawyers to provide legal consultation and assistance on seeking compensation for damages suffered by Taiwanese during the riots. Once the extent of the losses inflicted on Taiwanese factories and other related data is known, additional supporting measures will be evaluated to further guarantee Taiwanese businesspeople's rights.