The government is not considering giving an extension to Chinese spouses who fail to submit proof of renouncing their household registration in China by the prescribed deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, adding that they should not test the government’s resolve to enforce the policy.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) has since last month issued more than 12,000 notices asking Chinese spouses and their children to submit proof within three months that they had renounced their household registration in China.
However, many people have reported difficulties in obtaining such a document.
Photo: CNA
The council on April 16 announced that Chinese spouses might apply to substitute this requirement with a written affidavit or request a postponement.
The deadline for filing such applications is June 30.
Of the 12,000 people notified, 1,784 had submitted proof of renouncement, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 880 signed a written affidavit, while 352 sought a postponement, Chiu said.
There are also 485 Chinese spouses requesting special assistance and counseling from the council, he said.
Data showed that more than 8,000 of the notified people had yet to take any action, which could cause their household registration to be revoked.
MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) confirmed that the NIA has yet to receive anything from many of the notified people.
However, the council is not considering extending the deadline, he said.
“We understand it might take some time for the NIA to receive all the documents. After applying for the document in China, Chinese spouses would have to have it notarized in China. They would have to mail the notarized documents to the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taiwan, which must verify the authenticity of the documents before turning them over to the NIA,” Liang said.
“We understand some of the documents are still at the foundation, and others are on their way to Taiwan. Many more people are still in the process of applying for documents in China,” Liang said.
Nevertheless, the council does not exclude the possibility of deliberate inaction by some spouses.
“They are probably thinking about doing nothing to test the government’s resolve in this matter... If they choose to do nothing, or fail to show the evidence that they have indeed gone to China and applied for the documents, it would be difficult for us to make an exception for them,” Liang said.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS