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Strategies & Market Trends : Asia Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bosco who wrote (9366)	9/23/1999 11:18:00 PM
From: hui zhou	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9980

HK team lands late to chilly welcome STELLA LEE A team of Hong Kong rescuers was given a cool reception when it arrived in Taipei yesterday. The 16 fire and ambulance officers, all with mountain rescue training, arrived in the afternoon, later than other teams from around the world. The Taipei-based Central News Agency said foreign affairs officials and police did not arrange to meet the team as they had done with the other international rescuers. It said the 16 had to wait for members of the Mainland Affairs Council to take them to a briefing. Commercial Radio reported that officials were privately unhappy the Hong Kong team had arrived only after teams from much further afield had started operations. It said Taipei officials did not know where to send the SAR rescuers, so they were asked to attend the briefing while a decision was made. ATV quoted a Taiwanese official last night as saying the search equipment the Hong Kong team had brought was of no use. Heavy equipment to move rubble was needed. The official said Taipei had not received confirmation of the team's scheduled arrival until 11am yesterday. Last night, the team dropped its plan to travel to Taichung and stayed in Taipei. Japan, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Germany, Russia and the United States all sent rescue teams to Taiwan before Hong Kong. Political affairs commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said the response of the Hong Kong Government and politicians to the quake had been too slow. "They're even slower than Beijing. They should have more flexibility in handling the emergency without waiting for Beijing to express its stance first." A Security Bureau spokeswoman said the decision to send the rescue team was made on Wednesday after the de facto Taiwanese envoy, Cheng An-kuo, told SAR officials he welcomed the help. A government spokesman said it was solely the SAR's decision to send the team. Beijing was told after the decision was made. Director of Fire Services John Tsang Kwong-yu, who farewelled his officers at the airport, said he expected the rescue mission would be a difficult one. The team's leader, Senior Divisional Officer Cheng Tak-chuen, said they would use their experience in major landslides and house collapses to help rescue trapped victims. A Fire Services Department spokesman said the team intended to go to Nantou county, the worst-hit area.