Caught in the middle
Tiwanese investors in China say they often find themselves used as pawns in political issues affecting cross-strait ties. Yesterday, over 100 businessmen were invited by the Straits Exchange Foundation to Hsinchu, the site of a detention facility for overstaying Chinese visitors. As staff reporter William Ide discovered, the delegation was asked to make the appropriate noises in China to speed up the repatriation of the facility's `guests'
In an effort to speed up the repatriation of illegal migrants from China, officials from the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) -- Taiwan's semi-official body in charge of cross-strait affairs -- took members of Taiwanese business associations on a tour of a detention center for illegal immigrants in Hsinchu yesterday.
The visit was aimed at prompting Taiwanese businessmen to talk to people in China, in the hope that delays and foot-dragging by Beijing authorities on the repatriation issue will be soon resolved.
The issue of repatriation became particularly thorny after President Lee Teng-hui (
"We hope you will give us your suggestions and opinions ? and that you can help the Chinese authorities understand what the situation is like here," said Lai Hsieh-yi (
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Although Taiwan authorities are serious about solving the current deadlock, Lai said that at the center, they try to treat the detainees "like family."
"Some like it here so much they hate the idea of leaving," he said, before presenting a slide show on the facility to over 100 visitors who do business in China.
Authorities say that since Taiwan began permitting visits by Chinese relatives of Taiwanese citizens in 1987, around 38,000 illegal overstayers have been detained.
PHOTOS: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
It has cost the government about NT$600 million to incarcerate the overstayers.
"China always has some excuses. The waves are too big or the boats are being fixed. It's a strange situation," said Wu Hsin-hsing (
"We hope you can talk with them about the [detainees]," Wu said.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
In the end, a simple task that should take six months, can some times take years, authorities say.
Taiwanese businessmen were given a police escort to the Hsinchu detention center, and Lai pointed out that they had even purchased a new gate to improve the center's look.
The solution to the problem, say cross-strait officials, is to urge the rich network of Taiwan's business associations in China to persuade the authorities to stop stalling.
But as to whether this will solve the problem, some businessmen thought it unlikely.
"I don't know what this will do," said Chen Shih-ling (
"It's hard to say what everyone will do with the message," he added.
While most seemed a little out of place at the center, wondering why they were there, one businessman, stepping out of the new gate at the entrance of the center said, "I hate to leave."
Another was not so enthused.
Hayes Lou (
Too often, Taiwanese investors find themselves in the middle of political issues, he said.
"Both sides focus on small things and forget to look at the bigger picture," Lou said.
Whether it was repatriation or any other issue, Lou said both sides could be a little more flexible when it came to working through problems. Instead, both Taiwan and China are preoccupied with bitter wrangling, he said.
"Both sides are always trying to brainwash us," Lou said. "They just try to attack one another. I just don't get it."
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