The system of interviewing Chinese spouses at immigration points around the nation is to undergo major reform, according to a high-ranking government official.
The reform is intended to bring Taiwan in line with international practice, to conform to current requirements and also to rid Taiwan of the "police state" image, said the official, who wished to remain anonymous.
As of June, the practice of interviewing Chinese spouses at Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport and Hsiaokang International Airport in Kaohsiung, as well as on Kinmen and Matsu islands, will be abolished.
The reforms will mean that more than 20,000 Chinese spouses with immigration permits will be allowed into the nation every year without having to go through any interviews, the official said.
Special units
Once inside Taiwan, they may be asked to attend interviews by special units, which will be set up in each city and county around the nation by the newly-established Immigration Office.
This would make Taiwan's policy similar to that used in Western countries such as the US.
Anyone suspected of coming into the country under false pretenses will face deportation.
According to the government official, the immigration offices will officially commence operations in May or June, and procedures will be adjusted in stages, with the abolishment of the interviews taking place in the first wave of adjustments.
Any procedural changes will be made with the consensus of the central government, the Mainland Affairs Council, the National Security Bureau and other government bodies, he said.
The government initiated the practice of interviewing Chinese spouses in September 2003 in response to the large number of Chinese women who entered the country under the pretence of getting married, but who actually sought employment, with many apparently ending up working in the sex industry.
According to official statistics, more than 108,000 people were interviewed from the time the interviews started until Feb. 17. More than 3,700 of those interviewed were deported because of irregularities in their application.
Deterrent
The government believes that the interviews were an effective deterrent against both Chinese trying to enter Taiwan under false pretenses as well as human smuggling rings, while ensuring those who genuinely wanted to get married were allowed to do so, the official said.
However, frequent outbursts and arguments at immigration points around Taiwan were thought to be giving foreign tourists the wrong impression, making them think that Taiwan was a "police state," the official said.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
RSS