Taiwan just (slightly) relaxed Dual Citizenship Rules

That’s some A1 trolling right there :slight_smile:

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You should try to expand your thinking beyond crude stereotypes. You may find that the world is a complex and fascinating place.

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Came to the wrong place for that :rofl:

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Now this is like adding acid to the wound. It is practically one per day…they better hurry or the recipients will die out!

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Austrian priest Gutheinz Luis (古寒松神父), who has devoted himself to helping sufferers of Hansen’s disease for 43 years, received Republic of China citizenship on Wednesday.

“I was born to love Taiwan. I’m a Taiwanese,” he said.

Deputy New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) presented Father Luis with the National ID card in recognition of his selfless devotion, praising him as “an angel,” who has dedicated his life to looking after those afflicted with Hansen’s disease.

“If I had my life over again, I would still come to Taiwan to serve these kind patients,” he said.

Nearly 120 people were on hand to witness the ceremony, including Lo Fong-ping (羅鳳蘋), wife of Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), former patients from Losheng Sanatorium and staff from Fu Jen Catholic University.

The sanatorium used to house Hansen’s disease patients. In the past when the disease was untreatable they were hidden away in the sanatorium, often forsaken by their family and friends. For many years Father Luis reassured the patients they were part of society and not alone in their suffering, treating them as family.

Luis, born in Austria in 1933, came to Taiwan in 1974 and first taught at Fu Jen Catholic University before devoting himself to the service of Hansen’s disease patients at the Losheng Sanatorium 43 years ago.

Father Luis recalled that when he first visited the sanatorium, he saw about a dozen patients cramped into a small room, in an environment that resembled a living hell.

At the age of 83, Father Luis continues to teach at the Facaulty of Theology at Fu Jen Catholic University and remains devoted to the Hansen’s disease patients

We were joking that we are going to write a template and just fill in the blanks of bname and dates to publish this kind of news.

Look, it’s great that these incredible people are (finally) gaining some recognition from the Taiwan state. Such recognition is long overdue.

BUT I do wonder if the same Taiwan state realizes how off-putting this pattern of granting recognition is for those of us (non-religious types) working hard and contributing in other professional fields? The message being sent out is that gaining this (belated) recognition as a naturalized citizen is based on a set of standards that very few non-naturalized citizens in Taiwan could hope to meet.

I wonder if the decision makers are aware how insulting this process appears from the outside.

Guy

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The message they’re conveying to foreigners is pretty clear: unless you’re literally a saint, we don’t want you.

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Nope. Totally clueless.

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Say, what do you suppose the odds are that at least one of these priests will later be revealed to have molested children? And have been moved to Taiwan in order to cover up a scandal somewhere else? Wouldn’t THAT throw a monkey wrench into their whole give-a-priest-a-passport program?

Oh this is a hoot

Yeah, tell me sincerely what you think! :rofl:

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Applause for “Light McCandless”

Has Bob Kao written anything on this? His blog is restricted to I-don’t-know-who now.

I like the image of a Confucian preacher spending 50 years in the American rust belt. (It would be a more accurate analogy if he were hanging out with American aboriginals, but let’s not spoil a good joke.)

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Just an observation here but this guy died just 14 days after receiving his ROC ID.

Father Daniel Ross. Rest with the Lord.

Isn’t he the second or third?

One guy died like 3 or 3 days before he received it.

Seriously, case in point.

English version:

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) Daniel Ross (羅四維), an American priest and pioneer in the field of social work education in Taiwan, died at the age of 83 at a hospital in New Taipei City on Saturday, the Society of Jesus, Chinese Province, said Saturday.

Ross, a former director of Fu Jen Catholic University’s Department of Sociology, passed away at Cardinal Tien Hospital, according to the society, also known as the Jesuits.

His death followed that of two other Jesuit priests in Taiwan – American George Martinson (丁松筠), who passed away in May, and Canadian Georges-Etienne Beauregard (華思儉), who died last week.

Born in Wisconsin in 1933, Ross arrived in Taiwan in 1960 and began teaching Chinese in Hsinchu and English in Changhua. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1966.

He returned to the United States to study sociology and after receiving a PhD from the University of Notre Dame in 1972, he returned to Taiwan to chair the sociology department of Fu Jen Catholic University.

Ross, whose teaching career spanned five decades, was a pioneer in social work education in Taiwan, the Jesuits said, praising his contribution to the improvement of Taiwan’s social welfare system and to the quality and professionalism of social work in the country.

Some of Ross’ students are now county magistrates, politicians, college presidents and company executives.

His humanitarian work also extended to Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, for example, Ross raised funds to purchase computers and build a school.

New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) presented Ross with Taiwanese citizenship documents at the hospital on July 14, in recognition of the priest’s stellar contribution to Taiwan.

It’s just me or is the Taiwanese citizenship starting to seem more a curse than an achievement?
:eek:

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Receiving a Taiwan ID card is starting to resemble getting a handshake from our former president.

Guy

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There are a lot of great things about living in Taiwan but it sure is bizarre that the new policy for dual citizenship seems to be “only for foreigners who are about to die.”

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Because New Taipei city mayor gave him it?
Yeah I can see why you would say that.

Seriously though,they seem to think citizenship is some kind of prize that politicians hand out.

THAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF.

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Here is a dumb question: If I get a Taiwan ID and a war breaks out between Taiwan and mainland China, am I obliged to defend the rock?