Unrealistic expectations and short periods of courtship have contributed to a high divorce rate among mixed-nationality couples in the country, a Catholic charity organization said, adding that a famous murder case three years ago has also prompted more foreign brides, especially those from Southeast Asian countries, to divorce their Taiwanese husbands and return to their home countries.
Recent statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) showed that mixed-ethnicity newlyweds dropped by 14 percent last year to 21,729 couples. Close to 60 percent of the marriages have one spouse from China, Hong Kong or Macau.
The number of marriages across the nation between Taiwanese and Southeast Asian nationals also dropped by 943 couples last year.
A report in the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) stated that in Kaohsiung County last year, 7,862 mixed-nationality couples tied the knot, while 3,207 couples called it quits, a ratio of 40.79 percent.
However, the percentage of divorce was 81.74 for marriages between Taiwanese men and Southeast Asian women.
More women from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia are choosing to leave their Taiwanese husbands to go home, said Lee Bi-chi (李碧琪), a supervisor at the Good Shepherd Sisters’ new immigrant outreach program in Kaohsiung.
The MOI said that tighter control measures, such as a more thorough interview process and a background check, have resulted in the decline of interracial marriages.
But Lee said the drop could have also be prompted by the infamous railroad murder case in which a husband in Pingtung allegedly killed his Vietnamese wife for NT$70 million in insurance money by sabotaging railroad tracks in March 2006.
Prosecutors said when the wife did not die from the derailment, the husband injected her with snake poison to kill her.
That story, Lee said, served as a red flag and pushed many Vietnamese women, who were skeptical about their marriages to Taiwanese men, over the edge.
“Many foreign women marry Taiwanese men hoping for a brighter future for their families. They were often promised and expect that their Taiwanese husbands would financially support their families back home. Usually when the promise is broken, frictions begin,” Lee said, adding that some women maintain unrealistic expectations before their arrival in Taiwan.
Huang Shun-chao (黃順超), general commander of National Immigration Agency’s Operation Affairs 2nd Corp, said he has handled cases where Taiwanese men divorce their foreign wives after they have given birth to sons to carry on the Taiwanese family’s name.
“That’s exactly what happened to my friend. Her husband just kicked her out and forced her to divorce him after her son turned one year old,” said a Vietnamese women surnamed Tran, who married a Taiwanese man six years ago.
Tran said she has heard many sad stories where her “sisters” have been mistreated by their Taiwanese husbands.
“Right now, many people would rather go home and earn money while they are still young instead of staying in Taiwan. Perhaps they will get a chance to marry again, but never Taiwanese men again,” she said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS