Hsu Mien-sheng (right), Taiwan's envoy in Haiti, and Chi Wang-teh (in the back, seated) are seen on board a private jet Wednesday bound for the Dominican Republic, where they are being treated for injuries sustained in the magnitude-7 earthquake in Haiti on Tuesday. CNA

Two injured diplomats flown to Dominican Republic for treatment

TAIPEI: The daughter of a Taiwanese engineer working in Haiti was killed in the deadly earthquake in Haiti two days earlier, "foreign ministry" deputy spokesman James Chang said yesterday.

Moreover, he added, a Taiwanese businessman remained unaccounted for as of yesterday.

Later, Cha Tai-ming, an official at Taiwan's diplomatic mission in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, said in a telephone interview that both Hsu Mien-sheng, Taiwan's envoy in Haiti, and "Minister Extraordinary" Chi Wang-teh are receiving treatment at a hospital there.

"None of their injuries were life-threatening and both of them are in stable condition," Cha said.

Initial examinations show that Hsu may have suffered bone fractures to his left leg, while Chi's chest bones may have been fractured, Cha said, adding that detailed examination reports are still pending.

Hsu had been trapped in the rubble for six hours before he was rescued after the two-storey diplomatic mission building collapsed in the magnitude-7 earthquake, which was centered about 15 kilometers southwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

Cha also said Taiwanese search and rescue personnel are scheduled to arrive in the Dominican Republic today (Taipei time) from Los Angeles in two groups.

"We have leased three charter planes to airlift our rescuers as well as relief supplies and equipment to Port-au-Prince shortly after their arrival in the Dominican Republic," Cha said.

The three planes will park at an international relief command center at the Haitian capital for the use of the Taiwanese squad during its search and rescue operations.

The team of 23 workers and two search and rescue dogs along with six containers of relief goods and 3,000 kilograms of equipment departed Taipei late Wednesday for a post-disaster mission in Haiti via Los Angeles, Miami and the Dominican Republic.

There are currently 30-plus Taiwanese passport holders in Haiti, including diplomatic and technical mission staff, employees of Taiwan's Overseas Engineering and Construction Co (OECC) and individual business people.

Chang said the diplomatic mission's staff has managed to get in touch with most of the other Taiwan passport holders in Haiti, who are all safe and in good shape, except for the above-mentioned two cases.

"Because the communications systems there have been destroyed, the whereabouts of the missing Taiwanese businessman remain unknown," Chang said.

OECC, in which the International Cooperation Development Fund - the MOFA's overseas aid arm - has a stake, has been helping to carry out various Taiwan-Haiti cooperative projects, including the construction of roads and bridges in the Caribbean country.

In addition to sending the rescue team, Taiwan's government has offered an immediate donation of $200,000 to Haiti. Chang said the Taiwan diplomatic mission in the Dominican Republic is collecting information about what goods or supplies the Haitian government most needs at the moment and will deliver them after an assessment.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and will offer more donations, humanitarian aid and rescue squads to our ally if necessary," he added.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 01/15/2010 page2)