Several exiled Tibetans, accompanied by the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and other groups, held a demonstration in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday, protesting that they cannot renew their passports, leave the nation, work or join the National Health Insurance system.
Sobbing and kneeling on the ground, the exiled Tibetans said they are worried that they will not even be able to see a doctor if they get sick and they hope the new government can help solve the problem.
“How long do we have to live this inhuman life,” the exiled Tibetans and members of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Union of Excluded Immigrants, the Taiwan Tibetan Welfare Association and other groups chanted.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
In September 2014, a group of exiled Tibetans who have been in Taiwan since 2009 began seeking the help of legislators and the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission to solve the problem that they are unable to renew the passports they used to travel to Taiwan.
According to Article 16 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), the situation of Tibetans who entered Taiwan before the end of 2008 has been solved, but the situation of 17 exiled Tibetans who arrived in Taiwan after that date remains unresolved.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights secretary-general Chiu E-ling (邱伊翎) said the exiled Tibetans have already petitioned the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission on Oct. 28 last year and the commission had agreed to “restart an investigation” into the individual cases, but the problem still remains.
She said the commission is at fault for inertia, so she is fine with the government abolishing the commission, but she wants to know what the Executive Yuan plans to do to deal with the problem.
Exiled Tibetan Chime Dhondup said his life in Taiwan is very hard because he does not have identification and one time he felt really bad because he went to see a doctor about a stomachache, but did not have a National Health Insurance card.
Dhondup knelt on the ground and asked the government to help him.
Yeshi Dolkar, another exiled Tibetan, said he does not dare go and visit a doctor even when he is sick and he is really worried what would happen if he suffers a serious ailment.
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