What you need to know
This case shows that the current immigration legal system has many problems. NIA needs to conduct an overall review of immigration policies and listen to the voices of migrants in order to protect their rights.
51-year-old Chinese Indonesian Wong Tu Tjie was employed in a laundry factory many years ago and then became an unregistered citizen in Taiwan for 28 years after the factory went bankrupt and detained his documents.
The travel documents Wong applied for will expire on August 1 and he will be repatriated to Indonesia in September.
On July 30, the Union of Excluded Immigrants and Unwanted Citizens (UNIC) accompanied TransAsia Sisters Association, Taiwan (TASAT) and other organizations to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) and filed a petition. They call on the NIA to recognize to the special contributes made by Wong and legalize his residence by issuing him a special permanent resident certificate.
The Civil Judicial Reform Foundation says that Wong has cared for the elderly, children and the homeless in Luzhou, and has been a lifeguard in Shalun and Baisha Bay for more than ten years. During this time he has rescued nearly 20 visitors and has at least found five bodies.
Newtalk reports that Chen Yi, director of the Empowerment Department at the Awakening Foundation, says Wong is a victim of the incomplete fiscal labor system in Taiwan.
Chen says this case shows that the current immigration legal system has many problems. NIA needs to conduct an overall review of immigration policies and listen to the voices of migrants in order to protect their rights.
Translated by June
Edited by Olivia Yang
Sources:
Newtalk
The Judicial Reform Fundation
