From April 12 to 17, a group put to-gether by Taiwan's government in conjunction with a number of non-governmental organizations traveled to Macedonia to provide assistance in dealing with the refugees fleeing the war in Kosovo. The effort, which attracted much attention and provided valuable experience, marked the first time the government and people of Taiwan have worked together on an international relief mission.

Yugoslavia has become a battleground as a result of Serbia's use of military force to expel ethnic Albanians from the Kosovo region, and NATO's intervention. As a result, hundreds of thousands of refugees have surged into neighboring nations such as Albania and Macedonia. Based on the principle of friendship, the government on Taiwan decided to rush immediate aid to Macedonia, which has had formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan since the beginning of this year and is currently facing financial difficulties.

David Lee, deputy minister of foreign affairs, led a group of more than 90 people to Macedonia. The group included representatives of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association, the Buddha's Light International Association, the Red Cross of Taiwan and the Taiwan Luchu Cure Organization (TLCO), as well as legislators, reporters and six engineers from the Ministry of National Defense who set up a field hospital. At the same time, the government also provided US$4 million to help the Macedonian government meet the needs of the refugees.

On April 16, Taiwan set up a field hospital staffed with medical personnel from the TLCO, who are scheduled to remain in Macedonia for two to three weeks. When the Taiwanese staff withdraws, they will turn the medical equipment and supplies over to the Macedonian government.

The speed of Taiwan's response to the crisis was gratefully acknowledged by the Macedonian government, and Taiwan's ambassador to Macedonia, Peter Cheng, will remain in contact with the Macedonians to determine the nature of further aid.

However, because the Macedonian relief mission was put together in such a short time, some mistakes were made. The media has been critical, pointing out that even before the field hospital was completely set up, the relief team had hung a national flag and a banner stating who had provided the hospital on the site. In addition, the relief supply boxes were plastered with the national flag, and the purple vests of Lion's Club members on the trip were seen everywhere. Given that no other national flags were visible in the refugee camps, the local media has questioned whether the government was simply putting on a show, and the international media has wondered whether the relief efforts had a political purpose.

Others in the media have said that although this was a sincere and compassionate relief mission, it was imperfectly executed and improvements should be made. Much of the public, on the other hand, takes the view that this mission marked Taiwan's first attempt at an international relief mission. Since substantive assistance was given to a diplomatic partner and refugees, the mission should receive affirmation and encouragement.

Taiwan had had formal diplomatic ties with Macedonia for only three months when this refugee crisis arose. The crisis has not only tested the Macedonian government, but also the ROC government. With this experience, in the future our government will be better able to provide assistance to its friends in their times of need.

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Diaspora and the break-up of families are a human tragedy. Notices from people seeking missing relatives placed on message boards in the refugee camps in Macedonia wring the heart. (photo by Chen Mei-ling, GIO)

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Taiwan's aid mission to Macedonia was led by David Lee (second from left), deputy minister of foreign affairs. The mission brought with it food and clothing, medical supplies, and a field hospital.(photo by Chen Mei-ling, GIO)

Taiwan's aid mission to Macedonia was led by David Lee （second from left ）, deputy minister of foreign affairs. The mission brought with it food and clothing, medical supplies, and a field hospital. （photo by Chen Mei-ling, GIO）