[quote=“Mawvellous”]I got a reply back to my letter for the Post Office, which despite the rather archaic Chinese said exactly the same thing as the email they sent me previously: due to “business considerations” they are not issuing cards to foreigners. Of course they didn’t say what these considerations might be.
The letter was dealt with by an underlying to Director General Hu. I wonder if there is any way of making anyone who actually makes decisions in the Post Office deal with this matter.[/quote]
Good on you all for keeping on the trail of this.
[quote=“ironlady”]Letter-writing campaign to the Liberty Times and other Chinese-language papers?
Letter-writing campaign directly to Ma Ying-jeou? (His English is very good.)[/quote]
Or… maybe someone high up in the political opposition? Maybe they have more of an interest in avoiding bureaucratic hurdles of this sort that make Taiwan look silly when seen from abroad. Aren’t "business considerations” of this kind most easily interpreted as ignorance related to unspecific fears about foreigners and a lack of understanding how VISA debit cards really work? Funny how some non-government operated banks find it easy to deal with this non-problem.
We need a face to come in and negotiate like Hartzel and his predecessor used to do. Why doesn’t some higher up from Forumosa, gather a petition together and schedule an appointment with a higher up.
[quote=“Taiwan_Student”]We need a face to come in and negotiate like Hartzel and his predecessor used to do. Why doesn’t some higher up from Forumosa, gather a petition together and schedule an appointment with a higher up.
Let them have an interview and tell the world.[/quote]
Who is Hartzel? (Excuse my question, i am new here.)
In any case, ironlady has the language skills and the experience of presenting the case,
so how about we ask her to do the job and set up a “beer (or whatever she prefers) fund” in support?
I’ll mail my contribution !
Love to, even without the beer (I’m more a zhenzhu naicha sort) but I don’t live in Taiwan, and just left the island yesterday evening. It was good fun though as far as it went. Of course, there is always Skype…but face to face is more effective.
Hartzel is or was a leading advocate of foreign spouse’s rights on this here island. Your right to work, multi-year visa leading up to the APRC visa, children of foreigner father’s in Taiwan getting citizenship etc. have a lot to do with his efforts.
I think there was a guy before him but he disapeared. Gone mad perhaps. Harzel is now living in semi retirement as a moderator of this board
Thank you for giving me a reason to remove this item from my overly long list of things i don’t know!
This must be Richard Hartzel then - i have found quite a bit information about him, and from him, on the web…
Wow, I guess this conversation really fizzled out. They (the Taiwanese) are succeeding at dividing and conquering us.
Yuli, you little newbie, that Patrick guy sounds like a good candidate. It seems he has the language. Our previous fearless leaders all had the language and that makes a big difference. Let’s anoint him in fragrent rice wine and chodofu and put him to work.
Here is something that I think has been forgotten. According to Hartzel and his predecessors Taiwan doesn’t have a precedent rule like we’ve got in the west.
I mean let’s say that every foreigner married to a Taiwanese meets the requirements for a multi-year visa or the right to work each foreigner will still be denied, then passed on appeal with the same obvious proof that could have got him the right in the first place.
So, connections seem to matter an awful lot. You can have ten people each with identical proof, five get passed, five denied. You can ban together and argue but they will tell you. It’s their right to accept or reject you even if your proof is the same.
[quote=“Taiwan_Student”]Wow, I guess this conversation really fizzled out. They (the Taiwanese) are succeeding at dividing and conquering us.
Yuli, you little newbie, that Patrick guy sounds like a good candidate. It seems he has the language. Our previous fearless leaders all had the language and that makes a big difference. Let’s anoint him in fragrent rice wine and chodofu and put him to work.
Here is something that I think has been forgotten. According to Hartzel and his predecessors Taiwan doesn’t have a precedent rule like we’ve got in the west.
I mean let’s say that every foreigner married to a Taiwanese meets the requirements for a multi-year visa or the right to work each foreigner will still be denied, then passed on appeal with the same obvious proof that could have got him the right in the first place.
So, connections seem to matter an awful lot. You can have ten people each with identical proof, five get passed, five denied. You can ban together and argue but they will tell you. It’s their right to accept or reject you even if your proof is the same.[/quote]
I’m still on the case. But unless the post office decide they want to give us debit cards, there’s not much we can do except write letters. If the post office don’t give me a favourable reply, I am going to write to the Ministry of Transport and Communications which holds 100% of the shares in the Post Office.
If other people write letters as well it will be more effective. Maybe people could write to the English or Chinese language newspapers about this issue.
OK, guys, now is the time to fight if they say no:
[quote]The Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd. (中華郵政) announced it is to raise daily quota for its VISA debit card users to NT$60,000 from NT$30,000 and monthly quota to NT$100,000 from NT$60,000 starting today; it also accepts applications for VISA debit cards from foreign residents aged over 18 from now on. …
Foreigners can also apply for VISA debit cards with Chunghwa Post as long as they present their passports, bank account books, stamps used when opening an account and residence permits with a validity of more than three months.
[/quote] post.gov.tw/post/index.jsp[/quote]
Icon, nice work as always. I’ll be going in to try this out by next week. I’ll let you know how it works out.
To better serve you, we are beginning a new VISA debit card e-statement service. If you have already registered for web post office service or web ATM service, you can activate the e-statement service online. Log in to the webpage and click on 帳戶基本資料管理 (Basic account management) then 對帳方式查詢/變更 (Statement verify/change).
If you wish to have a bank teller assist you, please bring your 身分證 (national ID card), 儲金簿 (savings passbook), and 印鑑 (personal seal/chop) to any post office (speak to the banking department).
Thank you and please enjoy the e-statement service.[/quote]
I don’t have a passbook, if I go to the bank I assume they’ll give me one?
Also, my boss opened my account for me so will he know about stamps used when opening an account…? and residence permits with a validity of more than three months?
EDIT: I have had my since resident visa since 2009/09
Aren’t "business considerations” of this kind most easily interpreted as ignorance related to unspecific fears about foreigners and a lack of understanding how VISA debit cards really work? Funny how some non-government operated banks find it easy to deal with this non-problem.
It was good fun though as far as it went. Of course, there is always Skype…but face to face is more effective.
