Cabinet Spokesman Sun Lih-chyun spoke out on Sunday against media reports saying the government had been slow in responding to an oil leak. He was referring to the cleanup efforts after the TS Taipei freighter ran aground off northeastern Taiwan in mid-March.
Sun was speaking about a report by the local United Daily News, which said that 16 days had gone by and that the government had failed to immediately respond to the incident. The report also said that the government had failed to seek international assistance, resulting in the further spread of the leak. The report said that was a sign that the government had dropped the ball in the midst of a transition of power.
Sun expressed deep dissatisfaction and regret over the report, saying that it was a serious departure from unbiased reporting. He said the report had completely overlooked the facts which had been released to the public.
The spokesman said that the government had immediately responded to the incident, seeking assistance from both the United States and Japan. He said that the cleanup efforts had been hampered by inclement weather, which had brought down a rescue helicopter, killing two and injuring three others. He said that poor weather and rough seas had limited cleanup efforts to just six days following the ship’s grounding.
With improving weather conditions, Environmental Protection Administration Minister Wei Kuo-yen says that efforts to pump the oil and fuel from the ship will speed up. He said that workers are using radar, satellite and unmanned aircraft to monitor the ship and provide support.