Huapan Administration Consultant Co., the broker largely blamed for provoking the riot among abused and exploited Thai laborers working on the Kaohsiung rapid transit system last August, is once again in the news. The broker has sued 14 of the Thai workers for damages amounting to NT$20 million. The Council of Labor Affairs, which has already heavily fined Huapan, said that the company appears to be “confusing cause and effect" by suing the laborers. Huapan has not only ignored its mistreatment of the workers but has also grossly overstated its losses to justify the demand for damages. Meanwhile, experts have called on the government to seriously look into Taiwan’s immigration law. According to them the law does not have any mechanism to safeguard the rights of both foreign workers and foreign spouses.
Some 600 Thai workers hired by the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) staged a one-day strike on 31 March to protest the poor quality of food given them; they also demanded better medical insurance coverage and fir KRTC to address other problems. KRTC officials have agreed to treat the strike as the workers’ day off so as not to deduct any amount from their salaries. However, they warned the workers that if they went on strike again or failed to report for work for three consecutive days, they would be fired and repatriated. KRTC has taken over the management of its Thai workforce from a management firm after the riots last year.
The National Police Agency (NPA) and the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) launched a new crackdown on irregular migrant workers in order to protect the rights of employers whose interests are being hurt by illegal brokers, employers and workers.
CLA announced that, effective 20 April, those found employing irregular migrant workers would be meted heavier punishment. In addition, brokers who arranged the deployment of irregular migrant workers would be fined a maximum of NT$500,000. According to the NPA, there is an estimated 23,574 irregular migrant workers in Taiwan as of February.
At a hearing to discuss the country’s declining birth rate, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Liao Pen-yen asked Interior Ministry officials to conduct a research on whether Vietnamese women suffering from poisoning associated with defoliants used by American forces during the Vietnam War were marrying Taiwanese men in large numbers. Liao expressed concern that the birth of a large number of children with birth defects would greatly burden Taiwanese taxpayers. Meanwhile, dozens of Vietnamese women married to Taiwanese men protested on 4 April against Liao’s racist remarks. They demanded that the TSU suspend Liao’s membership for at least two months. Liao has since apologized for his remarks but this has failed to satisfy the protesters.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced that the Taiwanese government may allow Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan, provided both China and Taiwan can agree on measures to implement the policy within six months. The MAC had previously insisted on government-to-government negotiations before Taiwan could admit tourists from China. The council also said that the government would make available more cross-strait charter flights for both cargo and personnel within six months, based on the progress of negotiations.
Sources: Chiu Hei-yuan, “Society must confront prejudices," Taipei Times, 2 April 2006; Central News Agency, “Thai workers return to work after one-day strike," Taiwan News, 2 April 2006; Bruce Liao, “Immigrants need better protection," Taipei Times, 3 April 2006; “TSU must apologize to foreign spouses," The China Post, 3 April 2006; Jewel Huang, “Vietnamese women protest against ‘racist’ TSU remark," Taipei Times, 5 April 2006; Taijing Wu, Central News Agency, “NPA, CLA vow to crack down on illegal foreign workers," 12 April 2006; Chang Ling-yin, “CLA increases fines for hiring illegals," Taiwan News, 13 April 2006; Chang Yun-ping and Jimmy Chuang, “MAC signals openness to PRC tourists," Taipei Times, 13 April 2006; “Taiwan quick take: Crackdown on illegals," Taipei Times, 14 April 2006