Water Park Inferno: KMT asks China to provide aid
OTHER OPTIONS:Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Cheng Yun-peng asked why the KMT had not called for advanced medical aid from other nations
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has sent requests to China for provisions of medical supplies — especially human skin equivalents and cadaveric skin — for hundreds of burns patients after an explosion involving cornstarch on Saturday, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday.
The party headquarters contacted China through Department of Mainland Affairs director Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉), said Chu, who is also major of New Taipei City, after the incident at the Formosa Fun Coast (八里海岸) water park in the city’s Bali District (八里).
Chu said he met with members of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China earlier yesterday, hoping that the international aid organization would coordinate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to appeal to other nations to help provide medical supplies.
“We will go all-out in our efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected,” Chu said.
The KMT made a last-minute change to the agenda of the weekly meeting of its Central Standing Committee, canceling a keynote speech by anti-land expropriation advocate Hsu Shih-jung (徐世榮), a professor of land administration at National Chengchi University.
The media was informed one hour ahead of the 2pm meeting that Chu would deliver a statement instead.
In his statement, Chu called on the party’s 880,000 members to do whatever they can to assist those affected by the blaze.
“Everyone of them is like our own child,” he said.
As the ruling party, the KMT has to bring together all parties in local and central governments, at home and from abroad, to ensure the availability of medical equipment, personnel and social workers to meet the needs of the people on their long road to recovery, Chu said.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said he did not understand why the KMT had to ask for help from a specific nation, namely China, which is not known for being more advanced in medical technologies, adding that the ministry should check if supplies from China are adequate.
Food and Drug Administration Director-General Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) said the ministry has accepted an offer of skin donations from the Netherlands-based Euro Skin Bank.
In addition to already established sources of skin donations from the US, through the ministry and international allies, donations could also be imported from Japan and China, Chiang said on Tuesday.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
