The number of cases of Taiwanese suffering psychological distress while traveling abroad is on the rise, a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said as he discussed problems reported to representative offices or embassies.
Bureau of Consular Affairs Deputy Director-General Roger Luo (羅添宏) said that cases have more than doubled from the 20 reported last year to 53 this year.
Some Taiwanese have been detained or forcefully hospitalized due to psychological conditions that arise while they are traveling, he said, adding that conditions include depression.
Families whose loved ones suffer from depression or other psychological conditions should not travel alone, as these problems can be exacerbated by unfamiliar environments, language barriers and foreign customs, Luo said.
An unfamiliar environment can affect those with psychological conditions by causing them to adopt unusual behavior, such as lashing out and attacking other people or screaming out loud in public, he said.
The majority of reported cases come from Japan, which is not surprising as that nation is the most common travel destination among Taiwanese, although many cases have also been reported in Canada, the US and Europe, he said.
Reports of lost passports are also on the rise, so travelers should take precautions to protect their documents and prevent the illegitimate use of personal travel documents, the ministry said.
The greatest number of cases processed by the ministry’s representative offices and embassies involve the theft or loss of passports, Luo said.
More than 14,000 cases were reported between 2010 and last year, he said.
The ministry estimates it will handle 3,000 cases involving emergency passport replacement this year, Luo said.
Reciprocal arrangements that allow for visa-free entry, visa upon arrival, or electronic visa issuance to Taiwanese in 164 nations means a Republic of China (ROC) passport is becoming more valuable all the time, he said.
Stolen passports are often used illegitimately by others or copied, he said.
The ministry has also dealt with cases of Taiwanese working illegally in foreign countries without visas, violating the terms of the visa-free travel agreements, he said.
Taiwanese should remember that if they work illegally in a nation that allows ROC passport holders visa-free entry they risk subsequent denial of entry into that country, fines and possible imprisonment.
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