TAIPEI: Taiwan's "vice foreign minister" resigned yesterday to take responsibility for his agency's initial rejection of aid from other governments following Typhoon Morakot, which claimed about 500 lives and caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damage.

Andrew Hsia's resignation, which still needs to be approved by the "Cabinet", came amid rising criticism over the government's slow response to the August 8-9 storm. The move was linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) delay in requesting overseas aid after the storm hit, said an MOFA official on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press.

The MOFA initially instructed Taiwanese missions overseas to "politely reject" offers of aid but reversed the decision on August 13.

In a press conference yesterday, Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou explained that the instruction was given when the MOFA had not fully realized the need for aid.

Meanwhile, a US relief team backed by heavy-lift helicopters arrived in Taiwan on Monday to help local authorities get aid to the hundreds of people thought to be stranded in mountain villages.

Relying mainly on 70 Taiwanese choppers, local rescuers have already ferried more than 35,000 villagers to safety, many stranded in and around 44 hard-hit mountain communities, cut off from the outside world after roads and bridges were washed away by Morakot's fury.

Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Tai Chan-te said more than 200 people were rescued Monday but could not give an estimate of how many still needed aid. Officials said late Sunday that at least 1,000 people were still stranded.

The US team arrived on a MH-53E helicopter that took off from the USS Denver in waters off southern Taiwan to help out with the effort, according to Christopher Kavanagh of the American Institute in Taiwan.

Another MH-53E and an MH-60 arrived yesterday, Kavanagh said.

The US has already given $250,000 to Taiwan for relief efforts and delivered relief goods both Sunday and Monday. Taiwan has also accepted overseas aid from other countries including Israel, Australia and Singapore.

Typhoon Morakot dumped more than 80 inches (two meters) of rain on the island more than a week ago. That spawned flooding and massive landslides that stranded thousands in mountainous southern Taiwan. As of yesterday noon, the official death toll is 127 while 307 are missing and 45 injured. The figures do not include the hardest-hit locations, including Hsiaolin village and Shinkai Tribe in Kaohsiung county.

On Monday, Taiwan's military continued its search for victims who perished in the storm. TV images showed soldiers crawling on the ground, smelling for dead bodies buried under mud.

Tai said the army is focusing its operations on air dropping supplies and opening severed roads.

AP

(HK Edition 08/19/2009 page2)