Executive Yuan addresses criticism over Middle East evacuations
Executive Yuan addresses criticism over Middle East evacuations
2026-03-13
Though Premier Cho Jung-tai has proven that he paid for his trip to Tokyo out of pocket, opposition parties continue to lambast the government over flights. Critics have linked Cho’s Japan trip to the evacuation of Taiwanese nationals in the Middle East. They say Cho was able to charter a plane to Tokyo, but the government wasn’t able to charter one to the conflict zone. The premier explained on Friday that the two situations were radically different, as there are many airspace closures in place in the Middle East. For now, the safety of nationals abroad is being watched over, with further arrangements to be made when the time comes. Let’s hear from Cho.
Cho Jung-tai
Premier
The transport ministry contacted them repeatedly. In the first few days, only flights from Emirates Airlines were operating. Etihad Airways had suspended operations and said they wouldn’t resume until the 13th. So there were no flights. If there were flights, would there still be people stranded there? If necessary, we will make arrangements to ensure people can return safely. But at the time, it was impossible to guarantee their safety, due to the airspace closures. It was only considered to be safer later on.
Xavier Chang
Executive Yuan Secretary-General
We only have three colleagues stationed at our representative office in Bahrain. One of them, the secretary, assisted three Taiwanese nationals on March 7, along with one Chinese national accompanying them. The secretary escorted them as they traveled from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia so that they could return to Taiwan. No matter where in the world, Taiwan’s diplomatic work involves many factors that are difficult to explain to people not involved in the situation. So we should all give our overseas colleagues more encouragement and support, instead of saying “They have money to watch a baseball game in Japan but none to help Taiwanese nationals return home.” That’s wasn’t the case at all. We helped those who needed assistance return to Taiwan by evacuating them overland or making arrangements with Emirates Airlines so that they could return home as fast as possible and according to their needs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, so far, the ministry and Taiwan’s overseas missions have assisted nearly 1,900 people in returning safely to Taiwan. For the 50 Taiwanese nationals who still require assistance to leave the country, the ministry and the relevant missions will continue to maintain the closest possible contact and provide necessary assistance based on developments in the region.
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#middleeast #evacuation #bahrain #kuwait #dubai #uae #emirates #expat #travel
可包機赴日沒援助中東僑民? 卓榮泰:基於安全考量
2026-03-13
行政院長卓榮泰7號自費包機前往東京看球，遭在野黨質疑可以包機為何不前往中東援助僑民撤離？今天卓榮泰反擊，基於當時空域未開放，加上安全考量，因此在確保國人是安全的情況下，再做後續安排。
[[行政院長 卓榮泰]]
“交通部一再的聯繫，前面那幾天只有阿聯酋航空可以飛，阿提哈德也沒有飛，阿提哈德說要到13號才可以飛，所以都沒有飛，如果有飛，那我們還有人留滯在那邊，有需要，政府一定設法讓他們安全的抵達，當時是沒有辦法保證，基於空域未開，基於安全是沒有辦法保證，再來是因為都大概可以安全的”
[[行政院秘書長 張惇涵]]
“我們在中東巴林的駐館只有三位同仁，其中的一位秘書，在3月7號那天，協助了三名我們的國人，跟一名同行的中國籍的人士，全程陪伴從巴林到沙烏地阿拉伯，協助他們回到台灣，無論在哪一個第一線，其實台灣的外交工作，其實很多難以為外人道的地方，所以大家應該要幫這些駐外的同仁，多一點努力鼓勵跟打氣，而不是說，好像有錢包機去看球，沒有錢協助國人回台灣，沒有，我們也很順利的把有需要的國人，透過陸路的疏散，又或者是協調阿聯酋航班的班機，盡快的盡可能依照他們的需求，協助他們回到台灣”
外交部說明，截至目前為止，外交部與駐外館處已協助近1900人平安返抵台灣，對於目前仍需協助離境的50名台灣人，外交部及相關館處將持續保持最密切聯繫，並依據區域情勢發展提供必要協助，全力確保民眾安全。
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