According to Taiwan News, according to a report released by DGBAS on Saturday (1/5), the number of migrant workers in Taiwan increased by 3.3 percent over the same period last year.

The top three countries whose citizens are currently working in Taiwan in order of number are Indonesians with 271,000 (38.4 percent), Vietnamese at 221,000 (31.4 percent), and the Philippines at 154,000 (21.8 percent). In terms of gender, women make up the majority, with 385,000 female workers (54.6 percent), while there are only 321,000 male workers (45.4 percent).

As for employment, 447,000 (63.3 percent) work in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. More than 70 percent of workers in this sector are male and 76.2 percent are under 35 years of age.

The next largest sector is household care and services, accounting for 259,144 (36.7 percent) workers. Of this group, 99.3 percent were women who 50 percent were between 35 and 44 years of age.

Meanwhile, the cities with the most migrant workers involved in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture are Taoyuan (91,000), Taichung (78,000), and New Taipei City (56,000). The cities with the most migrant workers involved in domestic care and services were Taipei with 44,000 and New Taipei City at 43,000.

The post The Number of PMI in Taiwan Is the Highest Compared to Migrant Workers From Other Countries first appeared on Postal Migrant.

Reported by Taiwan News, Ho Pei-Chen, deputy head of the Foreign Exchange Department of Taiwan’s central bank said that the increase in remittances was in line with with an increase in the number of migrant workers. In the first 11 months of 2018, migrant workers sent more than US$2.8 billion out of Taiwan.

Ho Pei-Chen also said that based on statistics compiled by the Ministry of Manpower (MOL), migrant workers on a monthly basis per worker send almost half of their total income, which is US$ 300.

“MOL estimates that domestic workers in Taiwan earn an average of US$ 647 per month and workers in the industrial sector earn an average of US$ 902 per month, Ho was quoted as saying by Taiwan News.

The figures, according to Ho, show that migrant workers are attracted to work in Taiwan, especially those from Southeast Asian countries, because they are able to earn better salaries in Taiwan than in their home countries.

The number of migrant workers in Taiwan has continued to grow since Taiwan first allowed them to enter its territory to meet a labor shortage in 1993. According to MOL statistics, the number has increased from 480,400 people in November 2013 to 545,000 people a year later and 586,000 people two years later. , before surpassing the 600,000 level in June 2016. At the end of 2017 the number of migrant workers in Taiwan reached 676,100 and this number increased to 703,162 at the end of October 2018.

The post Taiwan Migrant Workers’ Remittances Reach Over Us$ 3 Billion first appeared on Postal Migrant.

Reporting from Taiwan News, during a press conference on Monday afternoon, the Minister of Health and Welfare and the head of the CECC Chen Shih-chung (陳) announced that amid the severe spike in coronavirus cases in Indonesia and in order to reduce the possibility of the entry of infected PMIs into the his territory. In the coming weeks, Taiwanese authorities will bar all PMI from entering Taiwan until December 18, at which time it will be determined whether the authorities relax or tighten the country’s travel restrictions.

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOL), since March 17 this year, all migrant workers arriving in Taiwan must undergo a 14-day quarantine. Since then, 7,279 Indonesian migrant workers have entered Indonesia, including 5,437 for social welfare and 1,842 for industrial positions.

Due to the discovery of confirmed coronavirus cases among PMIs who had just arrived in Taiwan in recent weeks, Chuang announced on November 20 that all Indonesian migrant workers who have entered the country from that date onwards, must undergo their quarantine at an official quarantine center. to ensure epidemic prevention. In addition, the operations of eight Indonesian labor agencies have been suspended in Taiwan to strengthen border controls.

According to MOL statistics, the average weekly number of PMIs entering Taiwan in November was 677. This two-week suspension is expected to reduce the number of PMIs arriving in the country by 1,350. If a follow-up assessment determines that Indonesian migrant workers can be allowed into the country, the number will be reduced by half, and that translates to a maximum of 339 Indonesian workers arriving in Taiwan per week.

Since PMI will not be able to enter, employers who need workers can contact local employment services agencies to recruit PMIs already in Taiwan or migrant workers from other countries. Persons with disabilities who need treatment can call the long-term care hotline “1966” or consult a local long-term care management center. For relevant application procedures, the government recommends calling MOL at 02-8995-6000.

The post Taiwan Bans PMI From Entering Its Territory Starting December 4 first appeared on Postal Migrant.

Reported by RTHK, CHP on Friday said two new cases had been confirmed in Hong Kong, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of the potentially fatal respiratory virus to 12. The two new patients were declared in stable condition.

The first case is a 37-year-old woman, who lives at The Coronation estate in Yau Ma Tei who is the daughter of an elderly couple from Wuhan, who was confirmed to have the virus on Wednesday. The woman developed a cough on Tuesday and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Thursday, where she was then isolated. His respiratory sample tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

A CHP spokesman said it was immediately investigating and tracing the patient’s contact. It said the patient had previously stayed at the W Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui with his parents from January 22 to 28 and visited the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons Hotel with them.

The woman then returned home after accompanying her parents to Queen Mary Hospital on Wednesday. Initial investigations revealed that the patient had not visited a wet market or seafood market, nor had any exposure to wild animals or poultry during the incubation period.

The second case involves a 75-year-old man who lives at Hong Mei House, Cheung Hong Estate in Tsing Yi. The man developed a cough and shortness of breath on January 22 and was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital two days later. His respiratory sample tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday.

The man, who is currently isolated at Princess Margaret Hospital, had previously visited Shunde in Guangdong between December 30 and January 7 and sought treatment at a clinic there. He made a day trip to Macau from January 10 to 14. Meanwhile, his wife, daughter and son who show no symptoms of illness will be transferred to a camp in MacLehose for quarantine.

The CHP said it would report the cases to the World Health Organization, National Health Commission, Guangdong Provincial Health Commission and Macau health authorities.

In addition, CHP also said it had received a confirmed case verification on Sunday by Taiwan’s health authorities and noted that the patient took China Southern Airlines flight CZ3097 from Guangzhou to Taipei last Saturday. A Hong Kong resident on the same flight was considered a close contact of the patient.

CHP said quarantine would be arranged for close contacts while medical surveillance would be arranged for other contacts.

The post Corona Virus Victim in Hong Kong Increases to 12 People first appeared on Postal Migrant.

This appeal is effective from Friday (11/15/2019) until an undetermined time. Teto will no longer recognize the medical examination reports of the two clinics for citizens who wish to apply for a visa to Taiwan.

“Because based on Teto, there are several things that need to be corrected by Ultra Medica, therefore starting on the 15th it will be stopped for health checks or medical checks with the aim of Taiwan,” said the Head of Manpower Office of Ponorogo Regency Bedianto when met by AFP at his office, Jalan Budi Utomo, Thursday (31/10/2019).

Ibed as he is called, added that until now there is only one clinic, Ultra Medica in Ponorogo which serves health checks for migrant workers with the destination country of Taiwan.

“Currently it is still in the process, if possible the government has a clinic for medical check-ups for PMIs other than the private sector. But we are still exploring whether this is allowed or not,” he explained.

The Ponorogo Regency Government admitted to accepting the results of Teto’s decision while looking for a way out so that this problem was quickly resolved. And migrant workers have no more trouble finding clinics that Teto allows.

“But now if anyone wants to have a health check at Ultra Medica, they can still do it, the limit is until November 15 after that, we don’t know when they will be allowed to return,” he added.

According to him, the issue of migrant workers being sent home from Taiwan due to illness is not true. This is because before being allowed to go to work in Taiwan, migrant workers must pass a series of strict tests, especially health issues.

“Ulta Medica must update the medical check-up according to Teto so that problems do not arise in the future,” he concluded.

The post 2 These Clinics Are Prohibited From Releasing Examination Results of Immigrant Workers to Taiwan first appeared on Postal Migrant.

According to the HKFP, lawmakers in Taiwan have passed a law that allows same-sex couples to form “exclusively permanent bonds” and another clause that allows them to apply for “marriage registration” with government agencies.

Parliament’s decision was taken based on the results of a vote that took place on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. It was a major victory for the LGBT community in Taiwan after years of campaigning for equal marriage rights and placing Taiwan at the forefront of Asia’s burgeoning gay rights movement.

In recent months, groups against same-sex marriage have mobilized to get rid of any reference laws on marriage, instead putting forward opposing arguments that offer something closer to limited same-sex bonds.

Human rights groups lauded Friday’s vote that resulted in a permit decision to apply for “marriage registration” – known as Clause Four – bringing their communities closer to parity with heterosexual couples. “Part of Clause Four ensures that two people of the same sex can register their marriage on May 24 and ensures that Taiwan becomes the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage and successfully turns a new page in history,” said a Taiwan Alliance spokesman. to Promote Civil Partnership Rights as quoted by HKFP, Friday (17/5/2019).

Two years ago the high court ruled that Taiwan does not allow same-sex couples to marry and considered it a violation of the constitution, the judge gave the government until May 24, 2019 to make changes or see marriage equality automatically enforced.

Other key parts of the new law are still being debated, including what provisions, if any, there will be for same-sex couples to adopt. Whatever the outcome, the law will not equate heterosexual couples because even the most progressive version only offers biological adoption.

Gay rights groups have previously indicated they are willing to accept compromises, as long as the new law recognizes the concept of marriage, because then they will be able to fight against the law in terms of surrogacy and adoption.

“In Taiwan a marriage is valid when it is registered, so allowing marriage registration is no doubt tantamount to acknowledging the marriage itself,” said Victoria Hsu, a gay rights lawyer, Friday (17/05/2019).

In the last decade, Taiwan does look to have become one of the most progressive societies in Asia when it comes to gay rights and holds the largest annual gay pride parade  .

However, in fact Taiwan is still a place where most of the population rejects LGBT, especially in rural areas. Gay groups and religious communities were bolstered by a series of referendum victories in November 2018, in which voters comprehensively rejected defining marriage as anything other than the union between a man and a woman.

In a Facebook post, President Tsai Ing-wen said she realized the issue had divided her citizens in two. Tsai had previously expressed support for gay marriage but later revised her statement after a court ruling, fearing the backlash of her electorate.

At the time of the vote, thousands of gay rights supporters gathered outside the parliament building to vote, despite the heavy rain.

“We are just a group of people who want to live well in this land and who love each other,” said gay activist Cindy Su in her speech.

Opponents of LGBT marriages were angry at holding a vote in parliament and said the inclusion of a “marriage registration” clause ignored the referendum.

Tseng Hsien-ying, of the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation, told local media that the vote had “trampled on the hopes of the Taiwanese people that marriage and family are formed by a man and a woman, a husband and a wife”.

Currently Australia and New Zealand are the only places in the Asia-Pacific region that have passed gay marriage laws. While Taiwan is the first place in Asia to do so.

The post Taiwan Becomes the First Country in Asia to Allow Same-Sex Marriage first appeared on Postal Migrant.

According to the CECC, the illegal PMI worked for a family whose main job was to care for the 80-year-old elderly. On Sunday, February 23, 2020, he was diagnosed with Covid-19. Previously, on February 11 to 16, he had treated the sick elderly at the hospital.

When tested positive for Covid-19, this PMI had run away until he was finally found again on Monday (24/2). Subsequently, the health team conducted a series of retests and he was isolated in a hospital in northern Taiwan. The PMI had complained because his throat was uncomfortable before being declared infected with the Corona virus.

Meanwhile, Faisal Soh, one of the migrant worker activists in Taiwan, said through his personal blog that he was looking for anyone who had met the PMI, to minimize transmission.

“Those who saw yesterday, Ms. I said it was suspected of Corona, today the test results have been proven positive. I’m looking for people who have met him since the 10th and above,” said Faisal on his personal blog, Wednesday (26/2/2020)

In Taiwan itself to date has one case of death related to Covid-19. As of February 26, there were 80,967 cases of Covid-19 worldwide, with the death toll reaching 2,763 people.

The post A PMI in Taiwan Positive for COVID-19 first appeared on Postal Migrant.

Quoted from Focus Taiwan, a video on YouTube uploaded on Friday (3/7) shows the driver, surnamed Chao (趙), getting off Bus route 97 Southeast to check the scent of three migrant workers waiting at the Youshi Interchange bus stop. -You 9 in Yu Shi Industrial Park and only allowed two migrant workers to get on the bus.

The video shows Chao refusing one of the migrant workers to board the bus and his hand gesturing for the migrant worker to leave.

Later at another stop the video shows drivers not adopting the same “smelling criteria” for passengers who look (local) Taiwanese.

Near the end of the video, the driver is seen verbally harassing another migrant worker, yelling at him to get off the bus for wearing too much perfume.

“Go out! You wear too much perfume!” Chao shouted in a video uploaded on YouTube.

Huang Yu-yao (黃), the manager of Southeast Bus, said after being notified of the matter by a migrant worker brokerage agency, an investigation found that Chao was allergic to perfume and had an allergic skin reaction.

However, that is not a justifiable excuse for the serious offense of verbally harassing and refusing passengers on the bus that he has committed.

The bus driver had only been on duty for about two months and mostly served the route between Yuanli National Middle School and Taichung Airport via Yu Shi Industrial Park.

Huang said that drivers should notify the bus company if they have allergy problems.

According to Huang, currently the driver is still serving the same route, but has been asked by the company to wear his mask at all times and open the driver’s side window to get some fresh air.

If Chao continues to have allergic reactions, then Chao will be asked if he wants to change to another bus route.

Chen Wen-cheng (陳文政), deputy head of the city’s Public Transport and Rapid Transit System Office, said Southeast Bus had been fined NT$5,000 (US$170) because the driver refused passengers to board the bus.

Security cameras installed on buses will also be reviewed to look for other related violations.

The post Taiwan Bus Company Fined NT$ 5000 for Refusing Service to Migrant Workers Wearing Perfume first appeared on Postal Migrant.

According to Taiwan News, Tsai met with the local Muslim Community who had returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca this year noticing that Islam is one of the most influential religions in the world. Tsai praised the values ​​of peace and justice espoused by the world’s second largest religion.

According to Tsai, Taiwan is working towards becoming a Muslim-friendly society in the areas of tourism, trade, culture, and more. He told the group that the growing exchanges between Taiwanese Muslims and non-Muslims had been placed at the top of his administration’s agenda.

For example, he said Taiwan has been pushing for the establishment of halal-certified facilities and services. At least 200 restaurants have passed the halal requirement, and Taiwan’s capital launched the island’s first vending machine to sell halal food earlier this month.

Other measures aimed at making Muslim residents or visitors “feel right at home” include promoting halal hospitals and setting up prayer rooms at airports, train stations and tourist attractions such as the National Palace Museum.

According to Tsai, the government’s efforts have received international recognition. A survey released by the Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index 2019 listed Taiwan as the third most Muslim-friendly country outside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The post President Tsai Praises Islam and Wants to Make Taiwan a Muslim ‘Second Home’ first appeared on Postal Migrant.

Reporting from Focus Taiwan, the temporary entry ban is part of the government’s latest preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19 in its territory announced at a press conference of the Taiwan Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOL) starting Thursday (19/3), migrant workers in Taiwan who wish to travel abroad will no longer be granted re-entry permits by the National Immigration Agency (NIA). The ban will be lifted once the COVID-19 epidemic subsides, the MOL said in a statement.

Migrant workers who are currently overseas but have a re-entry permit will be allowed to return, but they must self-quarantine for 14 days if they are from a country that is on a CECC Level 3 travel warning.

To date, the CECC has issued a Level 3 travel warning for 99 countries and regions, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.

The MOL spokesperson said that for migrant workers who must travel to their home countries during this COVID-19 outbreak, their employers will be able to apply for re-entry once the epidemic subsides.

“In the case of migrant workers who have booked a trip to their home country, MOL will compensate them for the rescheduling or cancellation fees incurred,” said MOL spokesman Lin, quoted from Focus Taiwan.

In addition to the temporary entry ban, Lin also announced other measures regarding migrant workers in Taiwan, which he said were all aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

For example, the employer will have the option of being able to extend the employment contract by three months, if the migrant worker will reach the legal limit of staying in Taiwan within the next three months.

Currently, the maximum prison term for a residence permit violation is 14 years for domestic workers, and 12 years for all other categories of migrant workers.

Lin said the MOL also encourages employers to renew existing migrant worker contracts in Taiwan, instead of bringing in new workers from agreed-upon countries.

He said if migrant workers are traveling from countries under a Level 3 travel warning, employers must submit a form in advance to the labor ministry, detailing where workers will be quarantined for the required 14 days and how they will be transported there.

According to Lin, if employers or employers fail to provide this information to the labor ministry, it will result in a ban on the entry of their workers to Taiwan.

The labor ministry has also mandated that migrant workers will be allowed to enter Taiwan only at Taoyuan International Airport or Kaohsiung International Airport, where they must report to the MOL Foreign Workers Service Station and will be provided with six surgical masks each.

According to MOL data, an average of 624 migrant workers enter Taiwan every day, 73 percent of whom are new workers.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Labor Liu Shih-hao (劉士豪) said last Tuesday (17/3) that employers in Taiwan have the right to prohibit their workers from leaving the country during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Liu, under their employment contract, workers and employers have obligations to each other, which can be classified as primary and secondary obligations. For employers, their primary obligation to workers is to pay their wages, while their secondary obligations include ensuring workplace safety and preventing accidents.

The primary obligation of employees is to provide labour, while their secondary obligation includes not engaging in behavior that could harm their employer’s operations. Travel bans on employees could be imposed under secondary liability provisions on both sides, Liu said.

Mandatory quarantine also applies to foreign tourists arriving in Taiwan from 99 countries and regions, including all of Asia and Europe, now they are required to self-quarantine for 14 days, because according to Liu, this is a secondary obligation that all arrivals must pay attention to.

The post Migrant Workers Leaving Taiwan Will Not Be Allowed to Re-Enter first appeared on Postal Migrant.