Taiwan’s principal human rights problems are labor exploitation of migrant workers by fishing companies, exploitation of domestic workers by brokerage agencies and official corruption, a new report from the US Department of State says.
While Taiwan gets generally high marks in the report, it notes that authorities indicted 687 officials, including 69 high-ranking officials, on corruption charges last year.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 was issued on Thursday — four months after a deadline set by the US Congress.
There was widespread speculation that the delay was deliberate to avoid upsetting China before a series of strategic and diplomatic talks were completed this week and to appease Iran where nuclear talks are being finalized.
In stark contrast to Taiwan’s mostly clean bill of health, the report said that China was guilty of repression, coercion, corruption and persecution.
The report accused China of using forced disappearance and strict house arrest, including house arrest of family members, to prevent public expression of independent opinions.
It portrayed China’s political system as ruthlessly repressive and one that regularly deployed extralegal measures to keep dissent in check.
Turning to Taiwan, the report said that the judicial system suffered from some corruption, although efforts were being made to diminish political influence in the judiciary.
The impartiality of judges and prosecutors involved in high-profile and politically sensitive cases had been publicly questioned, the report said.
It also said that local media had reported incidents of police obstruction and violence directed at journalists who were covering protests against administration policies.
“Local academics and media activists alleged that self-censorship continued, as some media chose to present news stories in favor of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) due to political considerations and the influence of local businesses with close ties to the PRC,” the report said.
“Some legal scholars and politicians alleged that the Ministry of Justice was not sufficiently independent, claiming that ministry authorities conducted politically motivated investigations of politicians,” it said.
According to the report, female employees in Taiwan continued to be promoted less frequently, occupied fewer management positions and worked for lower pay than their male counterparts.
The report also said foreign-born spouses were targets of discrimination both inside and outside the home.
“There was reported discrimination, including employment discrimination, against people with HIV/AIDS and 60 percent of HIV carriers left their jobs due to coercion from their supervisors or workplace bullying,” the report said.
It said there was evidence of forced or compulsory labor amongst domestic service workers, farm workers, fishermen and in manufacturing and construction.
“NGOs reported that some labor brokers and employers regularly collected high fees or loan payments from foreign workers, using debts incurred in the source country as a tool for involuntary servitude,” the report said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and