Story Timeline:
- 10th April 2020 – Taiwan to donate medical masks to Singapore
- 12th April 2020 – Singapore’s first lady responds to Taiwan’s mask donation with ‘Errrr’
- 13th April 2020 – Wife of Singapore PM apologizes to Taiwan after controversial comment (Current Article)
- 13th April 2020 – Netizens Spam Ho Ching’s Facebook Posts With “Errr” After Furore With Taiwan
- 15th April 2020 – Saga Continues: Ho Ching’s ACTUAL apology to Taiwan
Ho Ching seeks forgiveness for her ‘Errrr’ comment, says she is forever grateful for Taiwan’s mask donation.
After being criticized for her impolite response to Taiwan’s face mask donation to Singapore, the Southeast Asian nation’s first lady Ho Ching (何晶) apologized Monday (April 13) for her remark and urged Taiwanese to forgive her.
In a Facebook post published Saturday (April 11), Ho left a sarcastic “Errrr” next to a Taiwan News article titled “Taiwan to donate medical masks to Singapore.” Her reaction has been interpreted by many Taiwanese and Singaporeans as ungrateful, while some others have backed Ho by explaining that the Taiwanese government failed to supply masks to Singapore when they were needed the most.
In response to speculations about Taiwan in January withholding surgical masks manufactured by Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engg), Finance Minister Su Jain-rong (蘇建榮) pointed out that the masks were exempt from the export ban and had been shipped back to Singapore on Jan. 29. He added that two production lines of ST Engg were also moved back to Singapore on Feb. 12, reported CNA.
The production lines produce Air+ N95 masks and not surgical masks.
Despite requests from several Taiwanese to retrieve the masks, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Sunday (April 12) has reaffirmed its decision for the donation and said the friendship between the two countries would not be compromised by one comment.
On Monday morning, however, Ho revised her Facebook post and offered apologies for the bilateral friction she created. She expressed thanks to “all the friends in Taiwan” for their help and stressed that she was incredibly grateful for the island country’s kind gesture.
Ho said she hoped her mistakes could be forgiven as she encouraged internet users, regardless of ethnicity, to stop attacking each other via online platforms. She emphasized that the real enemy countries had to face was the coronavirus instead of one another, so it was essential for all communities to put aside their differences and join forces, reported UDN.