Disaster Muddies Ma's Reputation

When asked by a CNN reporter how to respond to the charge that his administration had not moved quickly enough to meet with the disaster of the typhoon, President Ma Ying-jeou said on August 16 that naturally he would bear all the responsibility, “after all I'm the president of this country.”

Ma also stressed that responsible officials “will be punished.” During the interview the president mentioned twice that one of the reasons for the seriousness of the situation was the unwillingness of some residents to evacuate from the disaster-hit areas.