My understanding is that similar questions are asked in the US if an American marries a non-American and brings her/him to the States.
It is simply one small way to verify the validity of the union.
My understanding is that similar questions are asked in the US if an American marries a non-American and brings her/him to the States.
It is simply one small way to verify the validity of the union.[/quote]
NOT SO!!!
I’ve been there, done that, and they do NOT ask. And the Dearly Departed (my ex-spouse) got his freebie Green Card. Rah rah rah. (Maybe Taiwan has the right idea??) :raspberry:
The US asks the citizen spouse to sign a statement that HE or SHE entered into the union in good faith. Unfortuantely, this statement does NOT cover the motivations or behavior of the foreign spouse. That’s why, in good faith, I had to sign the statement.
Well Ironlady, naturally I have to disagree with “I would have hoped that living in a foreign country might have OPENED eyes, not closed them, but this does not seem to be universally the case.”
Why would you assume this? Living in Taiwan has opened my eyes to a lot of things…
- Things are done differently here. Not better or worse, just different.
- Social equality is not a universal fact.
- I don’t have the inalienable right to go around trying to tell everyone else how to live.
- I now know how if feels to be a guest worker allowed to live somewhere on the whim of a caprious government.
- Attempting to change injustice is best reserved for my home country.
- Learning a foreign language after 40 is a pain in the @ss!
Of course you are right, my special status as a white guy from the U.S. affords me the ability to pack up and leave. I know that and you know that. I do think something should be done about the abuse of foreign laborers in Taiwan – and I made my suggestions to Paul about this. If he wants to really help foreign laborers then I think he should go back to Manila, where it appears his help was welcome, and warn the people of what the situation is really like in Taiwan. Stop the laborers from coming here, let the Taiwanese government realize how much they really need them, and then maybe the laws will be changed. Yes, it is a naive view but then again, so is the one where one foreigner thinks he can change an entire country to his way of thinking.
[quote=“tinman”]I was married in Canada last year, but because I failed to get my marriage certificate notorized in Canada, I can not register my marriage here. I have to wait until I go back this summer to get this done and then come back to Taiwan and get registered. Because of this problem, I couldn’t get spousal sponsorship and had to renew my workpermit through my school—and yes, let them suck my blood to test for drugs.
[/quote]
I know this is off-topic but can’t you get the notarization done by post? Normally you have to have your own foreign office approve the certificate (basically saying this is a legal document in our country,) then the Taiwan office there to approve it (basically putting a chop on it which tells the Bureau of Consular Affairs “yes, it really is a legal document in this barbarian land.” I know in the UK this can all be done by post from Taiwan, 'cos I’ve done it. Are you sure you can’t do the same in Canada?
But questions are asked, separately, of such things as “Where does he keep his socks? Where do you keep your coffee cups?”
I guess it would be assumed that you are having sexual intercourse or you wouldn’t be married.
Wolf,
You know not of what you speak. Don’t believe everything you see in movies like “Green Card”.
We were NOT asked any such questions, apart, together or otherwise. Everything was done by mail. So much for rigor in granting green cards in the US.
Ironlady,
I would never dream of contradicting you, but at least in 1983 it appears to have been the case.
I was in Fiji at the time and was flying to Hawaii. A girl asked if I could carry some of her boxes to check-in as if they were mine at the airport. Seems she was going back to the States because the Italian guy she married so he could get residency had a hearing, or meeting, with the immigration service or whatever it is called.
She told me that she had to be there and that the meetings were routine and they asked such questions as I previously posted, she told me to make sure that they were really living together. She said in Hawaii that she had to get back a few days before so that they could put their heads together and get their stories straight.
(Then we had sex in a motel room we were sharing with another guy who watched us do it while he played the guitar at the same time, but you don’t want to hear about that
I know, off topic, but I was married in the US and all we needed to do was take the marriage certificate into the US consulate and they notarized it. No probs since.
#1 Continent conversation for a different post.
#2 Paul, you created alot of exposure for yourself. You still haven’t fixed the problem. Hats off to the poster who mentioned the Catholic church. That would be your best way out. Second would be talking with people at your work on their ideas to resolve this. Third, is the maid legal or not? Throwing someone in jail for x amount of time will get them fed. Looking farther back, how do you get locked in a wooden cage, eat bugs, and free kidnap victims. Am looking for a good bus dev person.
Not being mean, not thrashing you. Simply asking, once everything is done, what did you resolve?
But they don’t believe you. They need a hell of a lot of convincing that the roads aren’t paved with gold here. They all think they will be the lucky ones. People who go back to China from abroad and say it was crap are regarded as failures. I don’t know how it would work in the Philippines, but I think it is the correct approach.
Would they ask intimate things such as what types of foreplay both partners prefer, or which position seems to provide the deepest penetration??
This quote cracks me up.
I think he’s trying to say do not do as Jesus would have. I will refrain from further commentary.
[quote=“Paulclark”]Moderator’s Note: Continued from this thread.
For the record I had ONE drink before I went to the police station; a vodka and orange juice while I was watching TV but I was definately NOT drunk. I don’t get drunk. Look at the video; do I look drunk? I don’t think so and that’s because I’m not.
Again, I want to point out that I was attacked by the police long before the small clip that you saw. They need the “drunk” story to validate their behaviour.[/quote]
I’d like to participate in this…
Read through Part 1 and 2 of this thread concerning Paul Clarke.
Been to his website, saw the TV card vidcap.
Foremost: physical contact with a police officer is not a good thing.
Having the action on videotape is a worse thing.
Paul, you simply blew it. You don’t push or punch cops (here or anywhere
in the world) under any circumstances if you want to have a fair shake.
It’s obvious you were caught up in the passion and drama of the moment.
But here’s my call, in all humility:
One of your causes is the plight of Filipino domestic help in Taiwan.
That through your wife, you’ve learned of great mistreatment.
A noble cause.
But much of your focus is how f’ucked up Taiwan is, specifically in
regard to the police non-action on your singular report of
employer abuse.
Instead of focusing on the symptomatic aspects of this condition, why
not throw your energy to the source?
The source is the answer to this simple question:
Why are Filipinos in Taiwan?
That’s the real issue.
But if you want to fight it on this side, don’t punch/push cops.
Gather stories, names, evidence. Build a case. Taiwan is stubborn
but pliable. Takes time, patience and may I say, a certain “sobriety”.
(Heavy drinker myself.)
Just a bit from me. I do support you.
–kowabunga
If history is studied over the past 100yrs, Taiwanese went to the Philippines to act as maids and cheap foreign labor. What will stop this from changing in the future and reversing? Were they treated better when it did happen? Hard question since human nature comes into play. Once that does, it identifies a person, not a culture or society (for non extremist within the society).
Am still waiting for Paul’s response on:
- Is the maid legal?
- Does she want to leave Taiwan?
- What does she need to leave Taiwan (ie: passport, ticket, etc.)
Answer these, and we can help you help her. Without correct answers, we can have another photo op session. Or not.
I was begining to think that Forumosa.com had become extinct for several days there.
During the time when the site was down this article, which might be of interest to those of you who have been following the Paul Clark Affair, appeared in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/22/international/asia/22indo.html
Typically, they overlook Taiwan in the story.
Hi This is Paul,
For the record the maid is legal but she is too scared to file a complaint.
This is all I can think to say and then I’m out of ideas.
- I was trying to help someone who I thought was in trouble.
- Yes, I probably went about it the wrong way.
3)) I should not have pushed a police officer. - But with very few exceptions I would do the same thing tomorrow.
- Actually the police and I are pretty good friends now. They even apologized to me as I left the police station.
I think that everyone should be treated equally and if I see prejudice I do lose my cool.
P.S. For the record I don’t think I’m comparing myself to Jesus Christ (I think that was the newspapers). I was just pointing out that I thought in some ways he was a pretty cool guy.
Jesus Christ was a “pretty cool guy”. Now that’s a truly articulate and profound statement from someone with a PhD who didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. The New York Times! My, my Paul! Maybe this whole deal will land you a gigue at the U.N.
If you can’t even spell “gig” correctly, don’t be slinging mud, OK? Sheesh! Or don’t they cover spelling on the turnip truck?
The whole point is that you, dan, evidently sit on your petuckus and don’t do much about problems that exist in society, if you even know they exist. Paul does something. Perhaps both are wrong, but I’d rather be wrong Paul’s way than your way. Better to get points for trying than to be condemned (rightly) for doing nothing.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that the article is about Paul W. Clark. It’s a story about the plight of Asian maids (from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philipines), in general. The story focuses on the difficulties they face in many Asian countries (but no mention of Taiwan).
The main point seems to be that abuse of domestic helpers is widespread throughout the region, and by implication not at all a unique problem to Taiwan.
I realize now that NYT require registration to view articles, so if anyone can’t access the article, and are interested, and don’t feel like registering with the NYT website, I’d be glad to paste into a reply here.
Here’s the intro to the NYT article:
Asian Maids Often Find Abuse, Not Riches, Abroad
By JANE PERLEZ
Published: June 22, 2004 in the NYTImes, google it for entire text
JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 17 - For Nirmala Bonat, whose home was a dirt-floor shack lit by kerosene lamp, the offer to work abroad was irresistible. As a live-in maid, she would earn far more than the $15 a month she got as a waitress. She would be able to send money to help her family.