The Executive Yuan met with several government agencies today to discuss measures for evacuating ROC tourists stranded in Nepal and for offering humanitarian assistance after the Himalayan nation was devastated by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake April 25.
Vice Premier Chang San-cheng, who presided over the meeting, said the government is working with the private sector to put together aid for Nepal.
"The ROC's representative to India, Tien Chung-kwang, who was visiting Nepal when the earthquake struck, will remain in the capital Kathmandu to provide first-hand information and assist relief teams coming from Taiwan," he said.
An advance team of six medical personnel from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will also arrive in Kathmandu tomorrow. They will assess and report back medical needs on the ground. Two more medical teams are standing by in Taiwan, and the Council of Agriculture has prepared dried food and rice accordingly.
The vice premier said that private organizations such as the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation and the Buddha's Light International Association are sending medical teams to Nepal's hard-hit areas. The ROC government advance team will work closely with them and local MOFA officials will also provide any necessary assistance.
The MOFA has so far confirmed the safety of 183 ROC travelers in Nepal and are endeavoring to locate other ROC nationals, Executive Yuan officials said. The government currently has no plans to arrange evacuations as local airports are still functioning and transporting travelers into and out of Nepal.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Tourism Bureau has set up an emergency task force to track the whereabouts of ROC tour groups in Nepal. And in accordance with the red travel alert—the highest level of warning—issued by the MOFA for the region, the Tourism Bureau advises all tours heading to Nepal to hold off on their plans for the time being. Travel agencies that cancel tours to Nepal should provide customers with refunds after deducting the necessary fees, as stipulated in the Template of the Standardized Contract for Overseas Tours.
The Tourism Bureau has also established an information and communication platform with MOFA to keep tabs on the status of ROC tourists and to provide assistance until all have returned safely to Taiwan.
The MOHW has set up two accounts to receive financial donations for relief efforts. All funds donated will be handed by the MOFA to Nepal to help the country through this difficult time.
In Taiwan, donations can be sent to:
Bank: 中央銀行國庫局 (Department of the Treasury, Central Bank of the ROC)
Account number: 270750
Account name: 衛生福利部賑災專戶 (MOHW disaster relief account)
For donations coming from outside Taiwan, funds can be sent to:
Bank: 兆豐國際商業銀行國外部 (Mega International Commercial Bank)
Account number: 007-09-11868-0
Account name: 衛生福利部賑災專戶 (MOHW disaster relief fund)