Thousands of Muslims, many of whom are workers from Indonesia, yesterday gathered in Taipei for Eid al-Fitr.
The Taipei event, jointly held by the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (IETO) to Taipei and Nahdlatul Ulama Taiwan, celebrated a “day of victory” for Muslims who completed a full month of fasting during Ramadan from Feb. 28 to March 29.
Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) attended the event held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and thanked Indonesian workers for contributing to Taiwan’s economy and society.
Photo: Lo Kuo-chia, Taipei Times
Taiwan owes much of its economic growth to migrant workers, a large proportion of whom are from Indonesia, he said.
Of the more than 800,000 migrant workers in the country, over 300,000 are Indonesians, he said.
Of that number, more than 190,000 are domestic caregivers, who make up about 80 percent of all migrant caregivers in Taiwan, he added, thanking Indonesians for taking care of Taiwanese families.
Referencing the occasion, Hung said: “Beyond labor policies, religion and culture are also crucial to improving relations between two countries and between employers and employees.”
“The ministry will continue working to ensure employers in Taiwan understand this, so that employer-employee relationships between Taiwanese and Indonesians are even more harmonious,” Hung said.
The event drew more than 20,000 participants, according to an IETO estimate.
Indonesia’s Representative to Taiwan Arif Sulistiyo said IETO held 30 Eid prayers across Taiwan yesterday.
‘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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS