Taipei, Nov. 13 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu appealed for public support Tuesday for a humanitarian aid campaign to help Afghan refugees who have been displaced by the ongoing U.S. strikes on Afghanistan's Taliban regime for its sheltering of terrorists.
Lu urged the people of Taiwan to support the aid campaign by donating NT$100 (US$2.9) each to help improve the living conditions of Afghan refugees.
The vice president also called for the use of political and diplomatic means to end the current U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan as early as possible. "This would be the best 'humanitarian aid' to Afghan refugees as an end to the war would enable them to return to their hometowns to rebuild their homes and lives," Lu noted.
The United States began air strikes on the Taliban regime on Oct. 7 in retaliation for its sheltering of Osama bin Laden, the key suspect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks which toppled New York City's World Trade Center and partially damaged the Pentagon in Washington.
While meeting with a delegation of the French charity, Care France, Lu said the aid campaign for Afghan refugees is one of a series humanitarian efforts and world peace promotional programs launched by her since she took office in May 2000.
Those programs included a drive to sponsor orphans and poor children in Central American countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with the Republic of China as well as campaigns to help exiled young Tibetans and earthquake victims in India.
Lu told Care France Chairwoman Countess Marina Brates that Taiwan is willing to cooperate with the French charity in offering medical services, food, tents and other daily necessities to the displaced Afghan refugees.
Noting that the ROC has won world recognition for its medical service quality, Lu said it is extremely unreasonable that the ROC is still being shut out of the World Health Organization (WHO). "A lack of WHO membership has often prevented us from providing timely medical aid to needy countries," Lu said. "This is a loss to the international community. I hope Taiwan will be able to join the WHO after its expected January accession to the World Trade Organization."
For her part, Brates lauded Lu for her longtime efforts to promote world peace, human rights and women's rights. "I'm also impressed by Taiwan charities' devotion to helping the underprivileged," Brates said, adding that Care France plans to set up a branch in Taiwan to facilitate its cooperation with local counterparts in helping Afghan refugees and AIDS victims in Africa.
Care France signed a cooperative agreement with the Buddhist Tzu Chi Compassionate Relief Foundation, Taiwan's largest charity, Sunday to jointly assist in post-earthquake reconstruction in India.
Under the agreement, the two charities will help the surviving victims of a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that rattled the northwestern Indian province of Gujarat Jan. 26 this year to rebuild their homes.
They will build 227 houses in one of the hardest-hit villages in Gujarat in the next two years for those whose homes were destroyed. In addition, they will jointly carry out other rehabilitation programs in the area, including drinking water improvement, education and vocational training. Certain infrastructure and public facilities in the vicinity will also be built to help improve residents' living conditions.
The earthquake claimed more than 20,000 lives and destroyed 1 million-plus houses and nearly 7,000 schools.
Care France was founded shortly after World War II. It now sponsors over 600 aid programs in 70 countries around the world. The foundation has more than 50 years of experience in carrying out various aid projects in India. It has sent 400 volunteers to work for Afghan refugees.