Legislators yesterday urged the government to investigate the high rates of remarriage among female immigrants from China, citing an example of two Chinese brides who have each married nine times.
DPP Legislator Chien Chao-tong (
Chien said the motivation of these Chinese brides is suspicious as a large number of them are married to military veterans of the Chinese Civil War and World War II, who came to Taiwan with the KMT government when it retreated to Taiwan after defeat in the Chinese civil war of 1949.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"Some of them might be involved in fake marriages. Some of them might be married for the old veterans' money. All these things could possibly happen, as we know that many Chinese `brides' really come to Taiwan to work as prostitutes," Chien said.
Chinese nationals can obtain Taiwan residence permits on the strength of marriage to a Taiwan national.
Chien said the statistics have shown that two Chinese brides topped the number of marriages with nine each, followed by three Chinese brides who have married eight times. Chien also revealed that there are 491 who have married four times and 3,000 who have married three times.
Legislator Tang Huo-shen (湯火聖) yesterday said the main reason behind the high number of marriages by Chinese brides is because of the death of their Taiwanese husbands.
"Nearly 8,000 out of the total 12,000 veterans in Taiwan have married Chinese brides, half of which are under the age of 40," Tang said, adding, "Judging from these figures, we could anticipate a high remarriage ratio of brides."
Citing figures from the Ministry of the Interior, Tang said as of the end of last year, the total number of Chinese brides in Taiwan is about 154,000, with numbers estimated to rise to 400,000 by 2016.
In a reference to an oft-voiced concern about immigration from China -- that large numbers of naturalized immigrants from China could exert a pro-China influence on Taiwan's politics and even jeopardize national security -- he said that such a large number of people "is bound to play a role in the election of the president," so the authorities should attach importance to the matter.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
As Taiwan celebrated its baseball team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 on Sunday, how politicians referred to the team in their congratulatory messages reflected the nation’s political divide. Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北隊), made history with its first-ever Premier12 championship after beating Japan 4-0 at the Tokyo Dome. Right after the game, President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated the team via a post on his Facebook page. Besides the players, Lai also lauded the team’s coaching and medical staff, and the fans cheering for them in Tokyo or watching the live broadcast, saying that “every
RSS