First Secretary of the Embassy for the Republic of China/Taiwan Michael Lin says that his tenure here has been a most memorable one, and he is not ready to leave these shores.{{more}}

Lin, who will return to Taiwan next month, where he will take up a new post in the President Ma Ying-jeou government, bade an emotional farewell at a ceremony hosted in his honour by the Taiwanese embassy, last week Thursday.

Senior government and public officials gathered at the Flow Wine Bar in Kingstown to say farewell to Lin, who served at the embassy here for seven years.

The soft-spoken Lin disclosed that he had been due to leave in January this year, but remained for the extra year to facilitate the successful visit of President Ma in August.

Lin said that he remembers with pride his first major project, the opening of the Rabacca Bridge in 2008, and again will take pride in seeing the last major project under his watch, the completed terminal building at Argyle, come to pass.

In between, Lin had been at the foreground of many projects undertaken by the Taiwanese embassy in various fields, under current ambassador Weber Shih and former ambassador Jack Chen.

He noted that he appreciated all assistance given to him and the embassy during his tenure here, and said that it is his hope that the assistance continues after he has left.

Ambassador Shih, who spoke at the ceremony, described Lin as a smart, aggressive, diplomatic and hard worker, whose invaluable assistance has helped deepen and strengthen the bonds between St Vincent and the Grenadines and Taiwan.

Shih said that he is most confident that Lin’s new post in Taiwan would be an important helping hand in Taipei.

Sharing that sentiment was Minister of Foreign Affairs Camillo Gonsalves, who joked that with Lin’s transfer, a Vincentian is now in the Taiwanese government.

Gonsalves thanked Lin for his years of dedicated service to the country, adding that the diplomat has made a lasting impact on the people and country.

Lin was presented with a number of tokens of appreciation, by the International Airport Development Corporation, the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Taiwanese embassy also used the opportunity to wish Vincentians a merry Christmas and happy New Year.(JJ)