As the Cambodian government officially bans its citizens from marrying Taiwanese citizens, immigrant rights advocates yesterday called on the Taiwanese government to give special consideration when processing applications for residency or marriage certificates for Taiwanese-Cambodian couples, as, according to the law, a marriage certificate from an immigrant spouse’s country of origin is required for such applications.
“We certainly do not agree with the Cambodian government’s ban on Taiwanese-Cambodian marriages. However, problems created by the incorrect policy of a foreign government should not have to be shouldered by the people affected, especially when such transnational marriages also affect Taiwanese citizens,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a press conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning.
“If we claim ours to be a country that cherishes human rights, then we should handle the issue with an attitude that’s different from the Cambodian government’s,” Hsiao added.
Photo: CNA
Citing the prevention of international people trafficking as its reason, the Cambodian government has banned marriages between its nationals and nationals of several countries, including Taiwan.
Due to the ban, many Taiwanese nationals who marry Cambodians are unable to apply for Taiwanese residency visas for their spouses, as applications for such visas require a marriage certificate issued by the Cambodian government.
Without a residency visa, Cambodian spouses may not be able to travel to Taiwan and register their marriage with Taiwanese authorities.
“It doesn’t make any sense that, knowing it’s impossible for Taiwanese-Cambodian couples to get a marriage certificate from the Cambodian government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still insists on requiring the document for visa applications,” TransAsia Sisters Association Taiwan representative Wu Jia-zhen (吳佳臻) said.
“Some Cambodian mothers have given birth to children of Taiwanese nationality, and it is ironic that the mother of a Taiwanese child does not have legal residency in Taiwan, and is not allowed to work or enjoy coverage under the national health insurance system,” DPP Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said.
“I understand that the National Immigration Agency may have measures to prevent human trafficking through fake marriages, but why can’t we deal with it differently when couples are obviously de facto married?” Tien added.
Several Taiwanese-Cambodian couples also attended the press conference, bringing their children with them, and urged lawmakers, immigrant rights groups, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and the National Immigration Agency to help.
Responding to their pleas, government officials at the news conference said that they could help couples who are both in Taiwan, but may need to find another way to solve problems for couples where the Cambodian spouse is in Cambodia.
“If the National Immigration Agency could help us confirm that the couple is truly married, they would have no problem registering their marriages at local household registration offices,” said Liao Chiung-chih (廖炯志), a section chief from the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Household Registration.
“When they become legally married, the foreign spouse would be granted an Alien Resident Certificate, and with it the foreign spouse could stay in the country as long as the certificate is valid, and, when all conditions have been fulfilled, they may apply for naturalization,” Liao said.
However, for couples in which the Cambodian spouse is still in Cambodia, the situation is more complicated.
“We would need to find out what to do if the Cambodian spouse is still in Cambodia,” visa section chief Ko Hsiao-tsung (柯孝宗) said.
“We cannot have someone coming up to our diplomatic post overseas saying that he or she wants to apply for a residency visa based on marriage without any proof,” Ko added.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS