This is a national disgrace. You are not going to win many friends abroad with this callous treatment of foreigners. Working in a government ministry is even worse. You have to put up with idiots who think they can boss you around and micromanage you because they passed some stupid Examination Yuan test. The CLA should not deport these people for protesting. Human rights as a platform of the current government – my ass.
Upset over work and living conditions, thousands attack police, fire fighters. Police are trying to find the main culprits in a Kaohsiung riot on Sunday involving thousands of Thai workers and will throw them out of the country.
The fighting started on Sunday night when a large group of Thai workers started drinking illegally in the compound of their living quarters.
The workers, who appeared to be drunk and noisy, had a fierce argument with a Taiwanese chief who tried unsuccessfully to calm them down.
Somsak said the chief was attacked and injured before the Thais went berserk. They then burnt vehicles and documents.
Taiwan TV reported that the workers also vandalised vending machines and set fire to their canteen. They used slingshots to attack police and fire fighters.
They then regrouped and demanded that their employer, Taiwan
News reports have not said how many workers will be deported. If they just deport the few people who started and lead the riot that is probably fair enough, but deporting hundreds of workers because they had no other means of getting very basic improvements in their living and working conditions is unfair.
If Taiwan is serious the Taiwanese management responsible for this should face serious legal action. However, my faith in the Taiwanese legal system to deliver any real justice is lacking.
Also there are 100,000 Thai workers in Taiwan plus at least as many again from other Southeast Asian countries. Many of them must face similarly bad conditions. Will the government actually do anything to improve the lot of all foreign workers in Taiwan after this incident. I hope so, but again I doubt it.
[quote=“Chewycorns”] put in 100 hours of overtime every week but were only paid for 46 hours of work.[/quote]But Chewy, there are only 168 hours in a week. How’s it possible they worked for 146 of them?? You’re saying they were working 21 hours a day?
Funny, how much information that chewy listed, wasn’t in the TT. Hmm
If the Thai’s want to be taken seriously, I don’t think getting drunk and trashing your place is the way to get you voice heard. Talk about adding more tension to cultrual differences.
Doesn’t help that probably locals see their presence as taking jobs away from them. All this reminds me of, ironically, is when the Chinese were in America buliding the railroads…
[quote=“hsiadogah”][quote=“Chewycorns”] put in 100 hours of overtime every week but were only paid for 46 hours of work.[/quote]But Chewy, there are only 168 hours in a week. How’s it possible they worked for 146 of them?? You’re saying they were working 21 hours a day? [/quote]
You will have to ask the reporter from the Taiwan News. That is where I read it from:
The Taipei Times quoted BCC as reporting that the poor Taiwanese bosses were only trying to tame the out-of-control Thai workers … with cattle prods. Nice.
Boss: Now, I’m going to ask you all to sit down and stop drinking. You know that you’re supposed to only drink beers that we sell you from the company store in exchange for the “coupons” we issue in lieu of normal pay. You’re going to be expected to do 10 hours of overtime work tomorrow for 4.6 hours of actual pay, so I want you all getting a good night’s rest…
Worker: Fusssshhhhh you, man! I can do whatever I want. It’s the weekend, it’s my own money, and I’m not hurting anybody.
Boss: I SAID, SIT DOWN YOU FILTHY ANIMAL!!! (zaps Thai worker with cattle prod)
(workers start to close in on him) BACK! BACK!
SIT! BAD THAI WORKERS! BAD THAI WORKERS! (zap! zap!)
Taiwan is under enormous pressure on its rail projects to complete. Money is being flushed down a black hole and the government doesn’t have that much money left for these big infrastructure projects.
When you’re under pressure, you do some seriously stupid things.
Shit flows downhill, but it is sometimes nice to see rampaging workers reverse the tide at least temporarily. You have to set boundaries or else the bosses walk all over you.
[quote=“Namahottie”]Funny, how much information that chewy listed, wasn’t in the TT. Hmm
If the Thai’s want to be taken seriously, I don’t think getting drunk and trashing your place is the way to get you voice heard. Talk about adding more tension to cultrual differences.
Doesn’t help that probably locals see their presence as taking jobs away from them. All this reminds me of, ironically, is when the Chinese were in America buliding the railroads…[/quote]
Were you missing some pages in your TT today, Nama? All the stuff Chewy said was in there. And just to clarify on the overtime: “They also protested the management company’s unreasonable methods of payment – for each 100 hours of overtime, they are only paid for 46 hours.” It doesn’t say over how long the 100 hours was. taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003268802
I’m more inclined to give them credit for fighting the good fight, although I’m also highly cynical that it will lead to significant improvements.
And I really don’t understand the cultural differences point and am very tired of hearing it come up again and again when the Taiwanese make asses of themselves. Do locals work for Mickey Mouse tokens in lieu of cash? Are they barred from having alcohol or using cellphones in their residences? (Could they be banned from using cellphones in movie theaters, PLEASE?) And if you’re not a contortionist, good luck fitting in the “living quarters” the Thai workers were offered.
Also, like when the Chinese were in the U.S. and Canada to build the railroads, there isn’t a lot of domestic competition for these jobs.
I think TC’s Monty Python comment was right on the money. The only true regret the higher ups here are likely to have over this is the attention it received.
Were you missing some pages in your TT today, Nama? All the stuff Chewy said was in there. And just to clarify on the overtime: “They also protested the management company’s unreasonable methods of payment – for each 100 hours of overtime, they are only paid for 46 hours.” It doesn’t say over how long the 100 hours was. taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003268802
I’m more inclined to give them credit for fighting the good fight, although I’m also highly cynical that it will lead to significant improvements.
And I really don’t understand the cultural differences point and am very tired of hearing it come up again and again when the Taiwanese make asses of themselves. Do locals work for Mickey Mouse tokens in lieu of cash? Are they barred from having alcohol or using cellphones in their residences? (Could they be banned from using cellphones in movie theaters, PLEASE?) And if you’re not a contortionist, good luck fitting in the “living quarters” the Thai workers were offered.
[/quote]
Hmmm cultural differences, pc term to use to stay way from generalizing.
:s I wasn’t missing any pages, I just didn’t recall reading about the chef/cook’s involvement.
Darling, you should always check more than one source. I hope you didn’t teach journalism as a substitute teacher 
.
:s
