New immigration rules would bar people who have committed sexual offenses against children from becoming citizens, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said yesterday.
It is seeking to amend articles 2 and 3 of the Regulations for the Assessment Criteria of No Illicit or Illegal Behavior (歸化國籍無不良素行認定辦法), the ministry said.
The update would be based on the Nationality Act (國籍法), which stipulates that foreigners applying for citizenship must “have no bad conduct and have no criminal records as certified by the police clearance certificate,” it said, adding that this would bar offenders, including those who have committed sexual offenses against children, from naturalization until the criminal record entry expires.
Photo: Huang Hsin-po, Taipei Times
That usually happens when the offender has served their sentence, paid the imposed fine, or their deferred prosecution or suspended sentence expired, it said.
In January, the ministry promulgated changes to residence permit regulations, imposing more stringent curbs on applicants who have been found guilty of spousal or child abuse, it said.
The requirements for naturalization would be changed considering that they should be more rigorous than those for residency, it said.
Articles 2 and 3 would be amended to contain a clause that bars citizenship applicants who were found guilty of child abuse by a court or other agencies, it said.
The amendments would define child abuse as sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, stalking of a minor and other contraventions of regulations governing child welfare, it said.
Such entries would remain on the criminal record until at least three years after the offender is released from prison or has paid their fine provided that they do not commit any new offenses in the meantime, it said.
The amendments would be promulgated in due course, it added.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
RSS