Hexuan,
You have to remember that all news is correct except for the stuff you have personal knowledge of. I’ve always found that maxim to be true. At least the present problems with immigration laws give the local women some protection from the potential hordes of gorgeous (but alas gold-digging) young nubile women seeking richer pastures.
And speaking of crap news, I’m tired of writing articles for magazines and newspapers because most of it ends up as banal generalizations. My latest project is a very dry work on the “Snakes of Taiwan.”
I think we are back at the good old expectations gap thing again. Many local men want a subservient gal, whereas more and more Taiwanese women want a husband capable of seeing the advantages of the wife having a career.
The vietnamese brides and the local women are to some extent competing in different markets, with the foreigners grabbing the blue-collar conservative market, whereas the Taiwanese females are more focused on the white-collar “modern” market.
Is Taiwan really going to ratify these covenants ?
In answer to the ORIGINAL question.
It was interesting to read ‘No Logo’ and see that most of the highly criticized shoe industry sweatshops actually were managed by Taiwanese companies. According to this book, Nike (and most other top shoe brands) deal with the Taiwanese companies only. It’s the Taiwanese companies that run the sweatshops in China and other places and actually cause the conditions at these sweatshops.
When you consider the increasing attention asian sweat shop labor is getting, I would definitely say this could become a bad spot on Taiwan’s human rights record.
Taiwan is doing it again. More great news for foreign workers.
Trade union protests over lowering wages for foreign workers
The minimum wage for foreign workers should not be lower than local workers, or the difference may worsen Taiwan’s economy and unemployment, Taiwan Confederation Trade Union (TCTU) protested yesterday.
Taiwan’s minimum salary is quite low compared to other Eastern Asia countries, such as Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, said Lu. This bill will only do more harm to Taiwan’s international image.
More at:
The Taiwanese government has always had two options:
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Set up an international city in Taipei, with predictable, reasonable, and transparent laws, which would encourage the growth of a large foreign community as happy with their lot as any other in Asia. These foreigners would be free to work and live in relative comfort, paying tax, operating bank accounts, and enjoying a high standard of living which they would of course pay for out of their salaries (no one is asking for a free ride). These foreigners would report home that Taiwan is a good place to live, a great example of a democracy in Asia governed by the rule of law, and where basic human rights are respected.
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Take every opportunity to trample over everyone, local, or foreign, in pursuing a fruitless quest to score petty points at China’s expense. Paint all foreigners with the same brush, put every possible obstacle in their way, and make sure that they are reminded at every step of the way that they are not welcome here, and would they please bugger off home. Make sure it is as difficult as possible for them to get a straight answer about anything visa or tax related.
Taiwan will always chose number 2. I have no idea why. I do not get the feeling from the general populace that foreigners are unwelcome, but I certainly do from the government. Taiwan in its present form would not exist without foreign (American) assistance and intervention - why are they coming over all French on us ?
I find hexuan’s comments somewhat pessimistic.
In terms of the issues discussed in this thread, do the other members of this online forum find that there have been any changes for the better in the last few years??
[quote=“serendipity”]In answer to the ORIGINAL question…
Restrictive immigration/naturalization/citizenship laws. For example:
It’s a hell of a lot easier for an overseas Chinese person to obtain Taiwan citizenship than it is for “foreigners”. This smacks of racism.
Being born in Taiwan does not confer any rights to citizenship unless the parents are Chinese.
While these might not be the most horrific human rights abuses that could be imagined, I doubt they would endear Taiwan to people from countries, such as the US, that bend over backwards to be impartial in this regard.
Another issue is the lack of rights/representation for foreign workers.[/quote]
You think Taiwan is the only place whith restrictive immigration laws??? Oh please stop bitching and moaning. I’m not Chinese but my kids if I had any would be ROC citizens…
You have the right to be human, nothing else matters
[quote=“Feiren”] 2. Death penalty
I also think that the Taiwanese courts mete out far too many death sentences each year. This can’t help its human rights reputation very much, at least in Europe.
.[/quote]
Yeah please let us know how many executions were performed in the last 5 years.