In light of the recent earthquake that impacted Taiwan, Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the Republic of China (Taiwan), H.E. Dr. Robert K. Lewis has conveyed his sentiments in this regard.
Ambassador Lewis recalls that about 7:58 a.m. on Wednesday (April 3), the country experienced one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the last 25 years.
In the aftermath of this incident, the Saint Lucian Embassy in Taiwan contacted several Saint Lucian students and other Saint Lucian citizens throughout Taiwan to ascertain their status after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck.
According to Dr. Lewis, up until 8.00p.m. that evening, no information had been relayed “to indicate that any Saint Lucian national was hurt during the earthquake.”
The ambassador said he is grateful to all the Saint Lucian nationals “who responded to our calls and texted messages and to those who reached out to others to check on their wellbeing.”
He added, “Thank you to TaiLucian for its own efforts on reaching out to students and providing the necessary feedback and update to the embassy during the day through its officers. I truly appreciate that effort and networking.”
Ambassador Lewis indicated that Prime Minister Philip J Pierre and Education Minister Shawn Edward called in to find out about the welfare of the Saint Lucian citizens, in Taiwan, and extended “their best wishes on behalf of the people and Government of Saint Lucia.”
Furthermore, he said, scores of Saint Lucians called in with “messages of goodwill wishing God’s continued protection and guidance.” He identified individuals, such as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports Mary Wilfred who called to say there is a group praying for the Saint Lucian citizens.
Reaching out to the overseas Saint Lucian citizens, Dr Lewis added, “I should like to ask that as you move around Taiwan during the next few days, that you pay close attention to your surroundings since it is expected that there will be several aftershocks.
“Moreover, we share the space with the Taiwanese people, hence, I encourage each of you to assist in whatever way that you can to make life a bit easier for those who may have been directly affected by the earthquake. Additionally, I ask that you stay safe and vigilant always, and continue to be ambassadors for Saint Lucia.”