The Constitutional Court has rejected a request for a constitutional interpretation filed by three Tibetans seeking to stay in Taiwan, citing their Nepalese citizenship.
The Tibetans had visited Taiwan several times either as dependents of relatives or to preach Tibetan Buddhism, the court said.
Upon expiration of their visas in 2017, they applied for residency permits with the National Immigration Agency (NIA), saying that they entered Taiwan with fake passports and the situation conformed with Article 16 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法).
Photo: Taipei Times file
Under the article, the NIA can permit a stateless person from India or Nepal who entered the country before June 29, 2016, and who cannot be repatriated, to reside in Taiwan.
The NIA asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to check the backgrounds of the three petitioners and found that they had Nepalese citizenship, the court said, adding that as they were not stateless, the NIA rejected their applications.
The three filed a lawsuit stating that they do not have a country to return to and wish to remain in Taiwan.
In hearings at the Taipei High Administrative Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, the three were deemed not eligible for residency. The latter ruling issued last year was final.
The Tibetans then sought a constitutional interpretation, in which they said they left Nepal out of fear of religious persecution and could face prison if they were deported back to Nepal.
The Constitutional Court said that the appellants possess Nepalese citizenship and have traveled freely between Nepal and Taiwan, with one of them making the trip 63 times, another 37 times and the third five times, which suggests they do not face risk persecution in Nepal.
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
RSS