Legislators and government officials yesterday locked horns over whether Immigration Law (入出國及移民法) amendments should require officials to provide a document listing reasons before a foreigner is deported or refused residence.
The Home and Nations Committee yesterday began reviewing amendments to the Immigration Law, but were divided over several articles, prompting the meeting to be cut short and postponed until further negotiations can be held between officials and legislators.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said current regulations do not require officials to provide reasons for deporting foreigners and overseas Taiwanese.
Although overseas Taiwanese have Republic of China passports, they do not have a household registration; therefore many of their rights are not protected, Hsiao said.
No chance to appeal
In addition, many foreigners have complained of being refused resident status or of being deported without being given a reason or a chance to appeal, she added.
Chen Yuan-ying (陳媛英), a counselor at the Ministry of Justice, said that according to the Administrative Procedure Law (行政程序法), the requirement already existed and there was no need to add it to the Immigration Law.
Too complicated
It would cause complications if every single law with an approval or refusal had to be amended to include the regulation, Chen said.
Chen said the Administrative Procedure Law requires that a person being deported or refused resident status be given a document stating the reasons.
Hsiao asked the Ministry of Interior to provide records to prove that the Administrative Procedure Law had been effectively carried out before deciding whether to add the amendment or not.
She added that many foreigners would not have enough time to read or even know about the procedure law, and would therefore not know their rights.
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Kuo Lin-Yung (郭林勇) supported Hsiao's proposal, saying that the rights of foreigners should be protected and that they deserved to know the reasons for being deported or refused residence.
Deputy Interior Minister Chien Tai-lang (
Hsiao also proposed that there should be methods of appeal for overseas Taiwanese if they are refused residence, as well as temporary or long-term stays.
The committee has to review more than 80 articles in the Immigration Law.
The date of the next review session is unknown.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
RSS