Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators and civic groups yesterday called for the passage of an act that would guarantee residency for refugees.
Refugees arrive in Taiwan from China, Hong Kong, Tibet, Syria, Turkey and other nations every year, but many are deported or stay illegally due to the lack of a legal basis to accept refugees, Taiwan Association for Human Rights secretary-general Chiu Ee-ling (邱伊翎) told a news conference to mark World Refugee Day.
Earlier this year, the government deported six Kurdish people back to Syria and sent an Iranian mother and her son to back to Nauru against medical advice, she said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Association for Human Rights
The deportations contravened the non-refoulement principle and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which stipulates that no one should be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, she said.
While laws on refugees are urgently needed, the Legislative Yuan has been stalling refugee bills since the DPP proposed the first draft in 2005, she said.
Although the bill was listed as a priority in 2008, it did not clear a first reading until 2016 and has since made no progress, she said.
“We are very worried that if the bill does not pass, the legislation would go back to square one after the legislature is reshuffled by the general election in January next year,” Chiu said.
Amnesty International Taiwan deputy secretary-general Annie Huang (黃尚卿) said that there are an estimated 25 million refugees worldwide.
All nations, especially those with stronger economies, are responsible for helping refugees, she said.
“The real problem is not with the refugees, but countries that caused them to leave home and countries that cannot see their value,” Huang said.
Turkish national Yavuz Avci, who moved to Taiwan in 1993, said that he has been unable to obtain Republic of China citizenship following the Turkish coup in 2016.
The Turkish Trade Office in Taipei would not provide the paperwork he needs for naturalization and even took his passport, he said.
“I work in international business, but now without a passport where can I go?” he asked.
While he was able to obtain marriage-based residency, he has more than 20 friends who are not as lucky, he said.
Many of them can speak Chinese and are very talented, he said, adding that he hopes a refugee bill would be passed soon.
DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) said that the main reason behind the bill’s slow progress is the common misconception that refugees burden the economy.
“We must keep educating people so that refugees would no longer be stigmatized. When we achieve that, the bill should be expected to pass,” she said.
More Hong Kongers are expected to seek political asylum in Taiwan, DPP Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said.
In a resolution passed on Monday, the legislature urged the government to provide assistance to Hong Kongers whose freedom and safety have been threatened due to political reasons, she said.
She and other legislators would work hard to promote the refugee bill, she added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated