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MAC to push for law on refugees

Pushing for an asylum law is one of the Mainland Affairs Council's (MAC) top priorities this year, MAC Chairman Chen Ming-tong said yesterday (陳明通), adding that Taiwan must create a system to verify the claims of asylum seekers independently of the UN refugee agency.

"Because of Beijing, the UN has isolated Taiwan. The UN refugee agency has rejected several applications filed by Taiwan seeking its help in verifying the status of Chinese nationals who arrived in Taiwan and requested political asylum," Chen told a news conference yesterday.

DISSIDENT

Citing a recent example, Chen said that Chinese dissident Jia Jia's (賈甲) claims were verified after Australia had helped Taiwan file a application with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

"We therefore need a refugee law as a framework for providing a safe haven to people who claim to be political refugees," Chen said.

The UN agency granted Jia refugee status and relocated him to Indonesia, which gave him asylum, last March, about half a year after he arrived in Taiwan.

WAITING FOR A HOME

Chinese dissidents Yan Peng (燕鵬) and Chen Rongli (陳榮利), who came to Taiwan in 2004, are waiting for relocation to a third country willing to grant them asylum by the UN agency. Taiwan has granted them temporary refugee visas in the meantime.

Chinese dissident Cai Lujun (蔡陸軍) was also granted temporary asylum four months later and the MAC is considering granting the same protection to Chinese national Wu Yalin (吳亞林), who arrived with a tourist group late last month.

In January last year, the Executive Yuan sent a draft refugee law to the Legislative Yuan for review, but lawmakers did not deliberate on the bill. At the end of the legislative session, the bill was thrown out.

CHINESE SPOUSES

Meanwhile, Chen told the news conference that a proposal to relax regulations on work permits for Chinese spouses would take effect "in the foreseeable future."

Chen declined to elaborate.

Under current regulations, Chinese spouses may obtain dependent residence status after two years of marriage to a Taiwanese citizen. After another four years, they are eligible for permanent residence.

Two years after receiving permanent residential status, Chinese spouses can apply for Taiwanese citizenship.

After obtaining citizenship, he or she can work in Taiwan, although government employment is banned for the first ten years of citizenship.

Chinese spouses with permanent residency are allowed to work only under special conditions.

Chen said the revision would allow another 10,000 Chinese spouses to work in Taiwan without citizenship.

Also see: EDITORIAL: Overdue asylum law may take time
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