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By Wu Liang-yi
and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNA
Tour group travelers scheduled to visit Thailand and Myanmar should be eligible for a refund of prepaid tour fees, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.
The announcement came after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar on Friday, with tremors felt in neighboring countries, including Vietnam and Thailand’s capital, Bangkok.
Tour groups set to depart for Myanmar and parts of Thailand — excluding Phuket Island — before April 15 can request to cancel their contracts after consultation with their tour agencies, the administration said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
The policy ties into Article 14 of the Standardized Contract for Overseas Tours (國外旅遊定型化契約), as recommended by the government, the agency said, which states that if part of the contract could not be completed due to force majeure events in which neither side can be blamed, either side can terminate the contract without reprisal.
Tour agencies should refund travelers the remainder of their funds after deducting necessary expenses, it said.
The date for the refunds would be announced pending post-earthquake developments in Thailand, it added.
Travel agencies and tour guides that have already arrived in Thailand and Myanmar should take extra care to ensure tourists’ safety, change existing plans and avoid areas that have been affected by the earthquake, it said.
Travelers and travel agencies should contact the Travel Quality Assurance Association to arbitrate any disputes arising from the refund policy, it added.
China Airlines yesterday said that its flights to and from Myanmar’s commercial capital, Yangon, and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand have not been affected by the earthquake.
On Friday night, it said that tickets for travel to and from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Yangon before April 15 can be canceled or changed without incurring fees.
Taiwanese carriers have also updated their policies in response to the earthquake. EVA Airways on its Web site announced that tickets issued before yesterday for travel between yesterday and April 30 to those same destinations can be canceled or changed once free of charge.
Starlux Airlines said that tickets for travel to and from Bangkok and Chiang Mai before Friday next week are also eligible for free cancelation or changes.
Meanwhile, several Taiwan-based charity organizations have launched fundraising campaigns to support relief efforts in Myanmar following the earthquake.
The Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has set up a donation portal at
https://donate.redcross.org.tw/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=25, it said.
Its counterpart in Myanmar has also deployed emergency response teams to provide urgent care for injured people and those searching for missing loved ones, it said.
World Vision Taiwan has launched a dedicated fundraising campaign to supply food, water, shelter and other essential aid to affected communities, with the goal of assisting 500,000 people.
Donations can be made via the Web site at www.worldvision.org.tw/donations/18319.
The organization said it is also assessing the possibility of extending relief efforts to other impacted countries, including Thailand, Bangladesh and Laos.
FamilyMart, a major convenience store chain in Taiwan, has partnered with local non-governmental organizations to launch a charitable giving platform through its mobile app.
The collected funds would support emergency relief, including temporary shelters, food, clean water, medical support and long-term recovery.
The Taoyuan-based Mandarin-Education Volunteer Organization in Myanmar has also called for public donations, with its focus on supporting schools, community centers and vulnerable groups in disaster-hit areas.
The organization said its fundraising campaign would run until today, followed by a six-month implementation period, with a final report on relief activities to be issued by Sept. 30.
Donations can be made via Chunghwa Post (Longtan Post Office), account number 0281305-1138819, under the name Hua Yu International Cultural and Educational Association.
Donors are advised to specify “Myanmar Earthquake” when making their contributions and to provide transaction details if they require a donation receipt, it said.
