Taiwan is not considering closing its representative office in India for now. That’s according to a press release issued by the foreign ministry on Monday.
The foreign ministry has set up a task force to prepare for all possible contingencies amid a rising surge of COVID-19 cases in India.
The foreign ministry says Taiwan’s representative to India, Ger Baushuan, and other senior staff will not evacuate. That’s so they can continue to interact with the Indian government and offer services to Taiwanese expatriates.
The foreign ministry is encouraging Taiwanese citizens in India to return to Taiwan. Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang told lawmakers on Monday that the quickest way to do that is with Japan Airlines (JAL), which offers two flights a week to Tokyo. Tien says it’s difficult for the government to arrange chartered flights.
On Monday morning, a JAL flight landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, carrying 60 passengers. Nearly half of them were Taiwanese passengers who had departed from India, transferring in Tokyo before returning to Taiwan.