The government of the Republic of China on Taiwan has come to the assistance of this country in the wake of the passage of Hurricane Tomas, donating the sum of USD$200,000 towards the recovery and reconstruction process.{{more}}

Taiwanese Ambassador H.E Weber Shih handed over the cheque to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves at Cabinet room last Friday, November 12.

“Although Taiwan has been struggling with financial difficulties caused by economic and natural disasters, you can still be assured that our thoughts are always with our Vincentian brothers and sisters,” Ambassador Shih said.

He compared the two island nations, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Taiwan, saying that both countries were susceptible to the adverse effects of global warming and climate change.

Prime Minister Gonsalves in expressing his gratitude said that he was impressed by the response of Shih, the local Taiwanese representative.

“It speaks to the seriousness of which he (Shih) viewed the situation,” Gonsalves said.

The Prime Minister explained that he called Ambassador Shih the day after the hurricane struck to brief him on the extent of the damage.

“Upon the completion of the conversation, His Excellency called his Foreign Minister and woke him from his sleep to tell him that the Prime Minister had just spoken to him requesting emergency assistance,” Gonsalves explained. (DD)