Dozens of Republic of China (ROC) “nationals without citizenship” from the Philippines gathered in front of the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday to protest their exclusion from the National Health Insurance program.
There are currently about 2,000 ROC nationals without citizenship living in Taiwan. Most were born in the Philippines and hold ROC passports because their parents are ethnic Chinese.
However, they are denied legal residence status because the government does not view them as “Taiwanese” and therefore they do not have national ID cards, which makes them ineligible to participate in the national health program.
Elizabeth Ong Cheng, a member of a group that provides care and support for overseas Taiwanese who have returned from the Philippines, said the group has more than 500 members who all hold ROC passports, but are excluded from the health plan because they lack national ID cards.
Many of them have lived in Taiwan for more than 10 years, but have to leave the country for at least one day every six months to renew their visas, said Lorna Kung (龔尤倩), executive director of the Scalabrini International Migration Network in Taiwan and a consultant to the Taiwan International Workers Association.
These people are not the same as dual nationals who try to take advantage of the insurance system by not paying any premiums until they return to the country for medical treatment, she said.
Many ROC nationals without citizenship have lived here for many years, she said.
“They can legally work in Taiwan and have contributed to our society, but are excluded from the national health insurance system. Our social welfare system should not allow them to be treated like this,” she said.
Chu Tong-kuang (曲同光), deputy convener of health department task force on insurance premiums, said that the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) does not allow for loosening restrictions to include non-residents in the national health program.
However, the department would investigate the issue, Chu said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS