August 18, 2009, Taipei, Taiwan – Relief supplies provided by the government of Australia, including purification tablets, spray packs and Oxfam emergency buckets, are being transported free of charge by China Airlines to help the victims of Typhoon Morakot.

The first relief shipment arrived in Taipei on August 16 on flight CI-056 from Sydney to Taipei, with the second shipment scheduled to arrive on August 17 on flight CI-052.

The foreign aid supplies were arranged by Song-Huann Lin, Chief of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, who made contact with Australian officials. It is the first foreign aid to arrive after China Airlines announced that it would offer free shipment of relief supplies from all overseas branch offices.

The Oxfam emergency buckets have a specially designed lid to avoid contamination when carrying water or food, and the tablets are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the safest and most effective of all purification tablets.