Officials yesterday rejected negative perceptions about Indian migrant workers that arose after the two countries on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding on the issue.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) called on the public not to stigmatize Indian workers, saying that migrant labor is necessary because local workers are not inclined to do the so-called “3K” — difficult, dirty or dangerous — jobs, including those in long-term care and construction.
If Taiwanese did apply for such positions, they would be prioritized, Chen said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lin Kuo-cheng (林國成) earlier yesterday said Taiwanese are worried about their jobs being taken.
Separately, Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said that negative stereotypes of migrant workers should be rejected, adding that there are many talented Indian workers around the world.
Taiwanese tend to wrongly assume that migrant workers are a source of social issues, but the crime rate among migrant workers in Taiwan is less than half of that among Taiwanese, Tsai said.
There are about 18 million people from India working around the world, including about 8.5 million in the Middle East alone, 210,000 in Italy and 50,000 in Germany, he said.
Many countries have talked with India about bringing workers to their countries, including Japan and South Korea, Tsai said.
Israel is also considering expanding the number it admits amid a war-induced shortage, he said.
Labor shortages are a global problem and Taiwan’s industries could be at risk if action is not taken, he said.
Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) said in a statement that because labor shortages are a problem in many industries, the government is looking to work with countries that have people willing to move to Taiwan.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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