Immediately after learning of the shootings, bomb explosions, and hostage-takings that occurred on several locations in Paris, France, in the evening of November 13, 2015 [central European time], which resulted in a large number of casualties, President Ma Ying-jeou, on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China, strongly condemned these acts of violence. President Ma also conveyed his deep condolences to the families of the victims, as well as his heartfelt sympathies to those wounded. Following the attacks, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) promptly contacted the French Office in Taipei to express its concern and condolences. MOFA also transmitted these messages to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the ROC’s Representative Office in France.
In addition, MOFA has initiated its emergency services mechanism, and a special team has been established in the Representative Office in France to maintain close contact with French police agencies, as well as hospitals in the Paris region, so as to ascertain whether any ROC nationals have been affected. The Representative Office has also contacted Taiwan students and businesspeople, as well as overseas compatriot organizations in France, to remind them to be vigilant and immediately inform the Representative Office in the event of any special circumstances. Based on the information gathered so far, no ROC nationals are known to have been affected by the attacks.
MOFA has also issued a travel advisory, urging ROC nationals in France to pay close attention to their safety and temporarily avoid unnecessary travel to the Paris region. MOFA will continue to closely monitor related developments to see whether any ROC nationals have been affected, and will inform ROC nationals whenever related consular information is updated. ROC nationals currently in France who require urgent assistance can call the emergency telephone number of the Representative Office (0680-074-994). Meanwhile, MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has opened a special message board on its website (www.boca.gov.tw), which can be used by ROC nationals in France to let their family and friends in Taiwan know they are safe, or by people in Taiwan to contact ROC nationals in France.
In the evening of November 13, 2015, shootings, bomb explosions, and hostage-takings occurred at multiple locations in Paris, including the Stade de France and the Bataclan theater. According to current estimates, at least 128 people have died and more than 250 people have been injured in these attacks. In the same evening, French President François Hollande declared a nationwide state of emergency and said that France would close its borders. He also stressed that all available resources would be deployed to fight terrorism, and that the military would enter Paris to stop any more attacks from occurring.
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