Reciprocated my ass

Discussion Open Forum
1

Taiwan seems to use this word ‘reciprocated’ when issuing visas etc to people; if your country does this for ROC citizens then we will do this for your citizens. However for certain things on these forums it seems they don’t reciprocate things for foreigners working in Taiwan, the same way we reciprocate things for the Taiwanese in the US.

There are a lot of foreigners who have problems in Taiwan their visa/ARC, getting credit etc. The only advice that can be giving to these people is to take the Taiwanese to court.

That’s all well and good but this may take a year or more. What is the point in a person doing this when they have to leave the country or cannot get credit now or when they need it?

These are such big problems to people cause they affect them when it happens. One year down the road is a long way away, to solve a problem.

Suppose I unfairly get thrown out of Taiwan. I can challenge the Taiwan authorities in court if I want to. What’s the point if I am back in England? It’s too late at that stage.

If I want a credit card to buy something what is the point in bringing them to court and after a year getting a verdict, when I need the credit card next week?

Why should you have to get your marriage registered in my home country, when your country doesn’t expect your wife to get her marriage registered in Taiwan, if you get married in my home country?

What’s a household registration system? Do you expect you to ask your government to bring one into practice to satisfy one of their requirements? Else why should you have to get married in my home country to satisfy their requirements? Will the ROC pay for the flights and another wedding? Oh and if you are not from the US that can substitute if with an Affidavit, what does the ROC expect you to do.
Get a divorce in Taiwan and go back to England and get married again to fulfill (b) marriage cert from spouse’s home country??

Why isn’t your driving license acceptable even though a driving license from Cambodia is?

Why can you only get an ARC for one year?
If you want to stay here for 5 years, give it to you for 5, it saves you money on renewing, and if you want to cancel it, you’ll make sure to tell you.

Why does a person have to wait so long for citizenship of Taiwan and then surrender his, when it’s not expected for Taiwanese to do the same when getting it for the US?

Why do the Taiwan authorities choose not to disclose info to foreigners or not explain or just make it up as they go along, when dealing with visas etc?

Why can’t foreigners get two work permits for two different schools? They will pay tax and they are to taking jobs from the Taiwanese. That alone would reduce the number of foreigners in Taiwan, make money for the Tax Office, and reduce the people that usually come here for one year, make lots of money illegally, as there is a huge demand for teachers, and then leave.

Do retards run this country or what?

Is it in the ROC constitution ‘to make it as hard as you can for foreigners in Taiwan’?

Maybe the US should reciprocate things like this for Taiwan.
Let them wait for ever to get a US passport and make them forfeit their ROC passport when they get a US passport. Don’t let them register their children as US citizens even though they were born there.
Maybe stop selling them weapons to defend Taiwan until they make the laws easier for us.

2

I hope these are rhetorical questions

3

Yeah Right said: " . . That’s all well and good but this may take a year or more. What is the point in a person doing this when they have to leave the country or cannot get credit now or when they need it? . . . One year down the road is a long way away, to solve a problem. . . . Suppose I unfairly get thrown out of Taiwan. I can challenge the Taiwan authorities in court if I want to. What’s the point if I am back in England? It’s too late at that stage . . . . "

While I am not trying to start an argument,or be overly critical, I wish to point out that Yeah Right is missing the BIG PICTURE.

Yes, indeed, there are a lot of unfair regulations and restrictions here in Taiwan. But they are not going to get any better unless we initiate test cases to challenge them.

When such test cases are initiated, it is true that the individual involved does not gain immediate benefit. However, if we can win the case a year or so down the road, EVERYONE BENEFITS. This is the point.

On November 1, 2001, I was in court defending an 8-year old Taiwanese girl who is under a deportation order. The case was originally filed in December 14, 2000. So, we have been waiting eleven months for a hearing. The court process takes a long time, but if we don’t go through the process, will we ever reach a favorable solution? This is a very complicated case, and I won’t attempt to explain it here. Let me summarize by saying that I am convinced that the girl’s Constitutional rights are being violated. If we lose at the Administrative Court level, I will file with the ROC Supreme Court. I have already prepared all the necessary paperwork.

It is a similar situation in regard to the rights of foreigners. We have to do something. The way to do something is to work a real case through the court system. Although the individual involved does not gain immediate resolution of the problem at hand, there is the distinct possibility that in the future other people will not be confronted with this problem. In that way, our lives in Taiwan will be improved.

4

Dear Mr. Hartzell,

I would like to know a little more about our human rights campaign in Taiwan. I hope you could kindly provide me with a few answers my questions.

What are the current cases you’re pressing for? How can one help? If you think you have a case, what should you do?

Do our embassies help on the campaign? If not, why not? I would think under this recipricol treatment TW is always pressing for, we could get a lot of help if they were properly convinced.

5

Just a thought Richard:

So you win a test case - how does that stop the official you may be dealing with continuing to write his own interpretation of the law?

Will he be aware of the case.

Will he be moved if a foreigner brings it to his attention.

Does it just reduce by one the number of administrative appeals/courts you have to visit next time. Or is it even a big assumption that a court in Taiwan would automatically recognise a descison made by a higher court?

You have mentioned that you regularly (always?)succeed in obtaining 6 year drivers licences on appeal. But it seems that winning does not seem to stop the need to appeal.