A group of 110 Tibetans in exile in this country without legal status may soon be granted temporary residency, Mongolian and Tibetans Affairs Commission (MTAC) Secretary-General Chien Shih-yin (錢世英) said yesterday.
“We’ll try two things at the same time. First, we’ll ask the Executive Yuan to hold a ministerial meeting on the issue,” Chien told the Taipei Times in a telephone interview after a meeting members of human rights and Tibet-support groups, including the Taiwan Friends of Tibet, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and Amnesty International Taiwan.
“Second, we will try to fulfill their needs for food and shelter right away,” Chien said.
The Tibetans — who entered Taiwan on forged Indian and Nepalese passports five to six years ago — have been staging a sit-in demonstration at Liberty Square in Taipei for the past two weeks, asking the government to grant them asylum.
Most of them escaped to India before arriving in Taiwan. As they have no legal status here, they face constant challenges in gaining employment or healthcare.
Local human rights activists have been helping the Tibetans in negotiations with various government institutions.
The Cabinet would likely recommend a revision to the Immigration Act (出入國及移民法) to make a special case for the 110 Tibetans, Chien said.
“Meanwhile, we will send them to a shelter for illegal immigrants, grant them temporary residency and hand them over to non-governmental organizations,” Chien said.
The Immigration Act states that foreigners whose visa has expired must be deported to their home country. In cases where a foreigner cannot return home, he or she must stay in the custody of the National Immigration Agency.
“They supposedly have to stay in custody before the law is amended, but I don’t think they would feel comfortable about it,” Chien said.
“That’s why we’ll ask some social groups to shelter them after a simplified legal process and grant them temporary residency as they wait on the revision process,” Chien said.
Temporary residency would allow them to live here, but not work, so “at least they won’t have to worry about getting arrested as illegal immigrants,” Chien said.
Taiwan Tibetan Welfare Association secretary-general Lobsang Tenpa said that although the solution was not perfect, “it is acceptable as we can feel their sincerity in helping these people.”
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS