Taiwan gives 4 helicopters to Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY – Taiwan donated four helicopters to Guatemala on Monday, two of them unused, to bolster the fight against drug trafficking and for humanitarian efforts during natural disasters, officials said.

“This gift will strengthen security strategy and the fight against drug trafficking, and is part of the achievements from the trip I took to Taiwan in October,” Vice President Roxana Baldetti said on her Facebook account.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu delivered the UH-1H Huey helicopters to Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina during a ceremony marking the 91st anniversary of the Guatemalan Air Forces.

“The Asian nation estimated that, in addition to its commitment to fighting organized crime, our country is vulnerable to natural disasters and affected by earthquakes,” an official Guatemalan news agency said.