Taiwan to dispatch Navy vessel to deliver supplies to the Philippines
ROC Central News Agency
2013/11/24 16:08:58
Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) Taiwan will send a Navy vessel on Monday to transport relief supplies to the Philippines' Cebu City in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan, an official from the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Sunday.
The tank-landing ship called Chung He will travel four days at sea, 900 nautical miles from southern Taiwan's Zuoying District to the Philippines, MND spokesman Luo Shou-he said, adding that the trip will mark the first time that Taiwan's Navy visits the Southeast Asian country since the Vietnam War 38 years ago.
Following Typhoon Haiyan's tearing through the central Philippines on Nov. 8, Taiwan has donated US$200,000 and sent 150 metric tons of relief supplies collected by charity groups by military cargo planes to support relief efforts in affected areas.
Taiwan sent C-130 military cargo planes on 18 flights to deliver relief supplies to the Philippines beginning Nov. 12, and Minister without Portfolio Lin Jung-tzer arrived in the Philippines on one of the cargo planes on Thursday to check on how relief supplies from Taiwan are being distributed.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan's government and civic groups have contributed funds and supplies worth more than NT$190 million (US$6.42 million) as of Thursday to help typhoon-battered regions of the Philippines.
Last time Taiwan's navy visited the Philippines was to help transport Vietnamese refugees in Subic Bay in 1975.
(By Hsieh Chia-chen and Maia Huang)
ENDITEM/ROBERT
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