Print

Mail

wiki links

TSU wants cash from detainees

Taiwan Solidarity Union lawmakers Huang Tsung-yuan, left, and Chen Chien-ming tell a press conference yesterday that illegal Chinese immigrants are living well in detention centers and that Taiwan has become a paradise for them. PHOTO: YEH CHIH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislative caucus yesterday called on the government to house illegal Chinese immigrants on one of six islands near China and to confiscate any income they make while in Taiwan.

The TSU also suggested that employers who hire illegal Chinese immigrants should be heavily fined to reduce incentives to find work opportunities for the immigrants.

TSU caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said that in recent years the number of illegal immigrants has increased because they can earn more money working part-time in Taiwan than full-time in China.

But even if they get caught, he said, local authorities will treat the illegal immigrants well and the state had to pay for it.

Chen provided figures which he said showed the government had allocated more than NT$74 million to the 3,458 illegal immigrants that were detained last year -- a figure that amounted to more than NT$21,000 per detainee.

Chen said that the authorities then allocated an additional NT$21 million for medical expenses.

"When illegal Chinese immigrants are caught, they wait for six months before they can be sent back, and during that period they have illnesses treated and even give birth without having to pay national health insurance," he said. "They are treated better than people in jail."

Chen said that because of the attractive work opportunities and comprehensive care provided by the government, an increasing number of Chinese were trying to get to Taiwan. He urged the government to make the illegal immigrants pay for expenses incurred during the repatriation process.

"During the period that illegal immigrants are in holding centers and waiting to be sent back to China, they should pay for their own costs, including food and medical expenses," Chen said.

He did not suggest how this could be achieved.
This story has been viewed 1853 times.