Several civic groups yesterday called on the Control Yuan to look into dozens of cases of prolonged pretrial detention of foreigners and to reprimand government agencies for negligence of duty.
Holding various posters, including one that read: “Foreigners in Taiwan are not granted human rights as they are outside the protection of the law,” the groups urged the government watchdog to address the system that discriminates against aliens.
The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) said that at the Taipei detention center alone — one of four centers nationwide that hold foreign nationals — dozens of aliens have been detained for more than 120 days even though they have not received sentences exceeding three months.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“Infringement of the liberty of aliens like this is an urgent matter that needs to be resolved,” TAHR secretary-general Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳) said.
The groups said the longstanding problem rested with the National Immigration Agency (NIA), prosecutors’ offices and courts that have procrastinated over holding trials involving detained aliens, as well as the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Yuan, which have failed to address the human rights violations.
As an example, the groups said authorities detained two Thai migrant workers who were listed as witnesses in a human-trafficking case against employers, for expired visas, for 11 months from September last year.
“The Taiwanese government has been boasting that Taiwan has been given first-class status by the US Department of State in combating human trafficking for two consecutive years. However, is this really how a first-class country treats an alien in detention?” Tsai asked.
In a letter presented to the Control Yuan, the TAHR said that several aliens held at the Taipei detention center for between five and 14 months were detained in connection with crimes in six cases that were all summary offenses, but the Taoyuan District Court had refused to begin their trials.
“The NIA, prosecutors and the court all deserve to be censured,” Tsai said.
Extension of detention is based on Article 38 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), which stipulates that detention shall not exceed 60 days, but if necessary, the NIA could prolong the period until the alien is deported.
“The Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Yuan have turned a deaf ear to our requests to examine the constitutionality of the article,” Tsai said.
The government has taken the lead in infringing human rights by violating the non-discrimination principle enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that freedom of liberty, movement and a fair trial are rights enjoyed by everyone regardless of nationality, the groups said.
The government must offer compensation for illegal detention to affected aliens in accordance with the Criminal Compensation Act (刑事補償法), they said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from