On November 13, 2015, Paris was hit by France’s deadliest terror attacks since WWII. From the evening of the 13th to the early morning of the following day, gunfire and explosions witnessed around the world through the media raised global anxiety levels. “Are my family and friends okay?” was a common concern not just in France.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, most countries have implemented strict measures to prevent further atrocities, but it seems that such attacks have nevertheless remained pervasive. This is one of the reasons for the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ overseas emergency assistance, which looks after the interests of Taiwan citizens abroad.
A night of terror
In the November Paris attacks, the first bomb exploded at around 21:20 in the Stade de France. MOFA’s French office immediately set up an emergency response team to track the status of Taiwanese people in Paris. Zhang Ming-zhong, Taiwan’s chief diplomatic representative in France, was in contact with French police and major Paris hospitals throughout the night. Finally in the early hours of the second day, he was able to confirm that no Taiwanese had been injured.
It’s impossible to predict what difficult situations may arise when people go abroad. Fortunately, a 24/7 shift system has been implemented in all MOFA overseas offices. Taiwan citizens can call emergency assistance lines where there are always officials to answer and initiate emergency procedures.
In case of an emergency, the first priority is to ensure personal safety. MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) is constantly reminding travelers to register their itinerary via the bureau’s website before they travel so MOFA can provide rapid assistance when it’s needed.
BOCA deputy director-general Lo Tien-hung suggests that people should be aware of some simple rules to protect themselves when traveling to potentially unsafe regions. They should “try to choose seats facing the main entrance in a restaurant and pay regular attention to the surrounding situation.” Also in public places, in addition to observing exit signs and routes, it’s better to avoid talking about sensitive topics such as politics, religion, foreign relations and race to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Finding help overseas
Anyone traveling abroad can download MOFA’s Travel Emergency Guidance App, and emergency aid cards are available at Taiwan’s airports. There are contact phone numbers, emergency tips, and phrases to ask for help in a number of languages. Even if people don’t have any of this easily available information, the moment they turn on their cell phones overseas they will automatically receive a text message from MOFA with the toll-free emergency contact number 800-0885-0885 (“0885”—ling-ba-ba-wu︿ounds like “you help me”—nin bangbang wo—in Mandarin).
According to BOCA director-general Kung Chung-chen, “MOFA’s 24/7 services help travelers contact families and friends, provide small emergency loans, assist in purchasing homebound flights, organize visits to people who have been arrested or detained, or recommend lawyers and interpreters.”
An open door, or secure borders?
The number of tourists visiting Taiwan approached 10 million in 2015, so balancing the conflicting needs of tourism and border security has become a significant issue. The Bureau of Consular Affairs stresses that Taiwan maintains strict visa controls in line with the island’s anti-terrorism policies.
With stringent security measures at Taoyuan International Airport and strict monitoring by the National Immigration Agency, Taiwan is one of the world’s safest countries. But the nation has been consistently pursuing cooperation with countries around the world to ease travel formalities. This year, Chile, Uzbekistan, and Rwanda joined the list of countries granting landing visas to travelers from Taiwan. In fact, today 161 countries and territories provide visa waivers, landing visas or e-visa facilities for Taiwanese.
To achieve reciprocity with foreign nations and in line with the paperless travel trend, on January 12, 2016 MOFA launched its eVisa program—reducing the need for paper applications. The process includes Taiwan’s 21 diplomatic partners, in addition to Turkey, Brunei, and Macedonia (which are already eligible for landing visas), and 27 further countries including Ecuador that have negotiated with Taiwan to reciprocally upgrade their visa treatment. In addition, people from any country who are officially invited to attend international conferences or sporting events in Taiwan and are eligible for discretionary landing visas can also apply for an eVisa.
Visitors need only submit an online eVisa application and following a MOFA review, the visa will be issued automatically. They can also apply from a third country. Research fellows from Turkey, for example, traveling to Taiwan via Japan, could apply for an eVisa online while they are in Japan, and will not need to return to Turkey to apply.
The eVisa process takes into account both border security and convenience for travelers. Lo Tien-hung states out that in future, use of the eVisa system will be opened up to nationals of additional countries, which it is hoped will help maintain a balance between an open door and the need to maintain strong national security.
Taiwan enjoys a multicultural society. We respect and embrace the beauty of different cultures, and it is crucial that we preserve this respect and defend it from the threat of terrorism. At the same time, we should employ more flexible but resilient policies and measures to create safe passage for both citizens and visitors in this turbulent era.
A toll-free emergency hotline provides a 24/7 service to assist people dealing with unforeseen events overseas.
MOFA provides Overseas Emergency Assistance Cards for travelers in a range of foreign languages at Taiwan’s international airports.