Taiwan has made great strides in the area of public security. That was the word from President Ma Ying-jeou on Monday. He was speaking with Paraguay’s visiting interior minister, Francisco Jose de Vargas.
“The number of criminal cases has decreased by 37%, while the number of cases solved has increased by 32%," said Ma. "You can say that Taiwan’s public security is at its best in 20 years.”
President Ma lauded the efforts of the police, who have worked to also reduce the number of traffic accidents. He said that in the last 20 years, the number of traffic fatalities has decreased by 40%. That’s despite the fact that the population has increased by two million people and the number of vehicles has increased by eight million. Ma said that a crackdown on drunk driving in the last three years had reduced fatalities by 82%.
President Ma also spoke about ties with Paraguay, which he characterized as close despite the physical distance between the two allies. He said he was grateful for Paraguay’s support in the international community. Ma also spoke about cooperative projects, saying that Taiwan is continuing to help the South American country eradicate poverty, and that next year there are plans to help Paraguayan hospitals implement a digital medical records system.