Ma to bring aid for Haiti on Central America trip

Taiwan's largest carrier China Airlines (CAL) has assigned a Boeing 747-400 Combi passenger/cargo plane to carry President Ma and his entourage as well as the disaster relief supplies, an official said Sunday.

“The relief goods will include medical supplies such as antibiotics and surgical drugs, as well as canned foods and biscuits,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

The relief supplies will be unloaded in the Dominican Republic for delivery by road to the neighboring Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the official said.

The main purpose of Ma's diplomatic trip is to attend the Jan. 27 inauguration of Honduran President-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa.

However, after Haiti was struck by a deadly magnitude-7 earthquake Jan. 12, Ma decided to make a stop in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, to show his concern for Haitian quake victims.

Ma's chartered flight is scheduled to arrive in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, Jan.28.

During his brief stay, Ma will meet with Dominican Republic President Leonel Antonio Fernandez Reyna for talks on how to help with post-quake construction and resettlement of quake victims in Haiti.

According to the itinerary unveiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday, Ma will leave Taipei Jan. 25 and travel to Honduras via San Francisco, and return to Taiwan Jan. 30 via Los Angeles.

The members of his delegation will include Vice Legislative Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Council of Agriculture and the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, as well as C.V. Chen, president of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China.

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