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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Lai orders stabilization of prices amid Iran conflict
President William Lai, center, presides over a routine military meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday. Photo: screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
LIVELIHOOD REPERCUSSIONS: The vice premier and the Price Stabilization Committee were told to monitor fluctuations in the prices of gasoline and essential goods
By Chen Yun and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
President William Lai （賴清德） has ordered special measures be implemented to stabilize the prices of certain essential goods and gasoline, while also stabilizing the local stock market, the Presidential Office said yesterday amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
At a national security meeting on Wednesday, Lai instructed the Cabinet to assess all potential risks linked to the ongoing conflict, make contingency plans and take steps to minimize the war’s repercussions on livelihoods, the office said.
Lai also at a routine military meeting at the Presidential Office yesterday reiterated the need for the national security team to keep up with the latest developments in the Middle East, it said.
Premier Cho Jung-tai （卓榮泰） chaired a meeting of Cabinet officials on the implications of the Israel-Iran conflict, and at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday he told ministers to be on high alert for international developments, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee （李慧芝） said.
Cho directed Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun （鄭麗君） and the Price Stabilization Committee to monitor fluctuations in the prices of gasoline and essential goods, as well as volatility on the stock market, Lee said.
The committee was authorized to implement measures to stabilize prices should the need arise, she said.
Cho told the Ministry of National Defense to increase the vigilance of the armed forces to safeguard national security and regional stability, she added.
The premier told the Coast Guard Administration to protect the legitimate interests of Taiwanese fishers, and bolster its efforts to combat smuggling and human trafficking, Lee said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already taken steps to protect the safety of Taiwanese residing in or visiting at-risk regions of the Middle East, Cho was cited by Lee as saying.
The Ministry of the Interior was ordered to collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor the safety of foreign nationals, embassies, representative offices and other organizations in Taiwan, she said.
Cho told the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice to guard against disturbances or incidents that pose a threat to law and order, and the public’s peace of mind, she added.
Separately, a Taiwanese woman stranded during a visit to Iran following Israel’s attack on the nation spoke of the chaotic scenes she had witnessed and the exodus of people from Tehran after reaching Turkey late on Monday.
Kang Cheng-hsuan （康承暄）, 24, said she started her journey in Isfahan, southern Iran, on Sunday, first heading to Tehran to buy a bus ticket to leave the country.
However, Kang said she heard explosions upon her arrival in the Iranian capital and estimated there were more than 3,000 people trying to leave.
Kang spent four hours to obtain a ticket to the northwest of the country, she said.
Despite the explosions and smoke, Kang said that she remained calm because “local residents are still managing to live a normal life, and media reports said the attacks were mainly targeting government buildings.”
She made it across the border to Turkey just before midnight on Monday and then took another bus to Istanbul, where she booked a seat on a flight departing for Bangkok yesterday.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua and CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
