A number of Taiwanese groups at home and abroad are stepping up their efforts to provide relief to earthquake victims in Haiti, which is one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies. A six-member medical team dispatched by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) Jan. 15 is now providing service in the quake-devastated Caribbean country, in collaboration with the Red Cross Society of The Republic of China, TaiwanRoot Medical Peace Corps and a medical mission under the Department of Health, MND spokesman Yu Sy-tue said. The MND will dispatch another 10 military medical professionals to Haiti to help provide emergency medical services in disaster areas, according to Yu. However, Yu declined to comment on media reports that the Taiwan medical team had arrived in Haiti under escort by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Yu said relief work knows no boundaries and he suggested that the public focus more on the work that is being done in Haiti by the Taiwan teams. Meanwhile, several rescue and relief groups trying to assist Haiti have been seeking support from the Taiwan embassy in the neighboring Dominican Republic, according to a Taiwanese official. In an effort to facilitate the many requests for support, the embassy has mobilized all of its staff, Taiwan technical mission specialists, and Taiwanese businessmen and expatriates in the Dominican Republic since the magnitude-7 earthquake hit Haiti on Jan. 12, said Taiwan Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Tsai Meng-hung. The embassy helped airlift Taiwan's Ambassador to Haiti Hsu Mien-sheng and the embassy's Minister Extraordinary Chi Wang-teh, who were injured during the earthquake, to a hospital in the Dominican Republic capital, Tsai said. It has also sent several shipments of basic supplies like food, water, food and daily necessities to Taiwanese nationals stationed in Haiti, according to Tsai. In addition, Tsai said, a Taiwanese military plane carrying six tons of medical supplies and equipment is scheduled to arrive in the Dominican Republic soon and the embassy will organize delivery of the shipment to Haiti. The Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation USA has also set up a coordination center in the Dominican Republic to handle its aid operations in Haiti, which include the swift distribution of blankets, food and first-aid kits, said deputy CEO of the foundation Huang Han-kuei. The organization plans to set up a relief supply warehouse in the Dominican Republic province of Barahona to cut transportation time to Haiti, Huang said. The foundation plans to supply 35,000 kg of instant rice to meet an urgent need for food in Haiti, Huang added. It will also prepare 40,000 first-aid kits, 53,000 blankets, 100,000 pieces of second-hand clothing and other supplies for delivery to Haitian earthquake victims, he said. 