Press Release of the Offshore Control Division of the Executive Yuan's SARS Epidemic Prevention, Control and Relief Committee
We have just heard about a report in the electronic media describing the case of an elderly veteran who returned to Taiwan from the Mainland with his wife. The centralized quarantine center at the Hungwu Military Camp refused to take the couple in, and since they could not afford a quarantine berth at the CKS International Airport transit hotel, they were forced to spend the night in the airport. Immediately upon learning about this story from the media around noon today (May 25), the Offshore Control Division made its own inquiries into the matter, and found that a 92-year-old veteran named Huang and his wife had indeed spend the night at CKS International Airport. It was not clear who or what factor was responsible for this incident, but we cannot rule out the possibility that negligence on the side of staff stationed at the airport of related governmental agencies and then on duty is to be blamed. The Offshore Control Division will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. At this point, on behalf of the government the Offshore Control Division first wishes to express its deepest apology to Mr. Huang and his wife for their having suffered from inconvenience and distress stemming from entry procedures.
Our current understanding of the situation is this: Mr. Huang and his wife returned from the Mainland to Taiwan yesterday (May 24) afternoon. Their landlord refused to allow them to return home for quarantine, so the couple asked to be put up at the Hungwu Military Camp's centralized quarantine center. The airport police complied with their request and conveyed them to the Hungwu Military Camp. Yet the Hungwu administration did not take the couple in, pointing out that 92-year-old Huang was disabled, and saying that there were no adequately equipped single rooms for handicapped people at the centralized quarantine center, nor was there a double room available where Huang's wife could have taken care of him. Therefore, the Huangs were sent back to the airport on the evening of May 24, where they were given into the charge of Center for Disease Control (CDC) airport personnel. This is where things seem to have gone wrong, as the staff in charge lost sight of the couple and assumed they had already gone home. As a result, Mr. Huang and his wife spent the entire night inside the airport. This morning (May 25) then, the CKS airport administration was informed of the matter and promptly contacted the service window of the Veterans Affairs Commission, the Executive Yuan. After the Commission arranged related matters, the Huangs were taken to the Chutung Veterans General Hospital for quarantine treatment at 10:30 a.m.
The Offshore Control Division hereby declares that according to quarantine procedures, the government is under obligation to arrange a berth at an airport transit hotel for all those ROC nationals entering Taiwan from SARS-infected areas who are unable to return to their own homes for some reason, and are willing to be quarantined at the Hungwu Military Camp, but are rejected there, too, because of a lack of adequate facilities. Furthermore, the government should bear the cost of such an arrangement. It should not occur that a traveler is asked to bear the costs for a transit hotel, and has to stay overnight in the airport if he is unable to do so. The Offshore Control Division will conduct an investigation into this incident. If any of the staff involved in the matter (including Mainland Affairs Council personnel in charge of coordinating affairs) is found to be guilty of negligence, we will ask the competent authorities to investigate who should be blamed, and to conscientiously review current procedures. This way, we hope to prevent similar embarrassing airport incidents from occurring in the entry of ROC nationals into Taiwan in the future.
The Offshore Control Division once more expresses the deepest apology for the incident, and extends a sincere and heartfelt apology to Mr. and Mrs. Huang for the distress they suffered from. The Offshore Control Division will cooperate closely with the Veterans Affairs Commission under the Executive Yuan to ensure that Mr. and Mrs. Huang will receive adequate care.