Vincentian students at Taiwan universities safe

All the Vincentian students pursuing university studies in Taiwan are said to be safe after the passage of Typhoon Morakot, which which pummeled that East Asian island over the weekend.{{more}}

This information was disclosed by First Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan, Richard Chen, after Taiwan experienced the worst flooding in half a century.

Chen said that all of the Vincentian students are schooled in the northern part of the country, which only received huge gusts of wind. He further noted that the Typhoon struck mainly in the southern end of Taiwan. “There are no reports of any casualties as it regards the students from St Vincent,” Chen stated.

He added that officials at the Universities in Taiwan pay close attention to any problems faced by students here. “Once anything happens to any foreign student (Vincentian) your Government would surely be aware of it,” he noted.

One Vincentian student studying in Taiwan told Searchlight that they were hardly affected by the Typhoon, stating that they only experienced light showers of rain and high winds.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military says it has found nearly 1,000 people alive in the area around three remote villages devastated by the typhoon. Most of the survivors were found Tuesday, but relief operations spokesman Major General Hu Jui-chou said a few dozen more were spotted Wednesday in Shiao Lin, the tiny community destroyed by a catastrophic mudslide.

Army helicopters were ferrying survivors to safety in Cishan, a town in the southern county of Kaohsiung that is the focal point of relief operations.

Chen expressed deep sympathy for those persons who lost their lives in the ordeal and noted that business organisations along with other stakeholders have all contributed to help in the relief efforts in that country with over NT (New Taiwan dollar)$72,000,000 in agricultural produce lost.