Last year (2023), the boat Ukrainian citizen Valeriy Koziyev and his family sailed to escape the war raging in their homeland broke down while passing through the Taiwan Strait. Fortunately, the boat was repaired for free when they arrived in Anping Harbor. Upon learning about this incident at the end of February, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che immediately instructed city authorities to provide required assistance. The Mayor’s reaction also inspired residents in Tainan to offer support and care to the family. The Koziyev family left Tainan on April 27 after the boat was confirmed safe to sail, and they plan to sail across the Pacific Ocean to Canada. Before departing, the family expressed their gratitude to the Tainan residents who helped them, and Mayor Huang wished the family the best of luck and hoped that they would be able to start a new life in Canada soon.
The Koziyev family has always been on Mayor Huang Wei-che’s mind since they arrived in Tainan. The city’s Social Affairs Bureau sent out personnel to help them with daily living issues and provided emergency assistance resources, and the Fishing Harbor and Coastal Fisheries Management Office assisted in arranging berths for launching tests. Moreover, the City Government team called for resources for the family through a press release when they were staying in the city, and after learning about the story of the Koziyev family, many local companies, groups, and individuals took the initiative to provide ship repair services, food, clothing, and other daily supplies.
Mayor Huang thanked the many private businesses, groups, and people for taking care of the Koziyev family which has received much love and support through the collaborations of the public and private sectors. These responses show that Tainan is a city filled with love and the residents are more than willing to help strangers in need. We sincerely wish that the Koziyev family will sail towards a bright future in Canada with Tainan’s love and kindness.