National compensation for Chinese nationals sparks debate

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

3063 Edition

November 8~14, 2010

Headline News

National compensation for Chinese nationals sparks debate

Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

Written by Lydia Ma

Are Chinese nationals eligible for “national” compensation in Taiwan? 
This question became a hot topic when landslides on the Suhua Highway 
recently claimed more than 20 Chinese tourists. 

The tragedy soon turned into controversy when Taiwan's Premier Wu 
Den-yih announced the government would use the Act Governing 
Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland 
Area to give “national” compensation to the families of these 
deceased Chinese tourists. 

For those incensed by the Premier's decision, the problem is 
self-evident. Chinese nationals cannot apply to Taiwan’s central or 
local governments for benefits that all ROC citizens have a right to, 
such as subsidies and compensations, because they aren't citizens and 
haven't fulfilled obligations the average Taiwanese must fulfill, 
such as paying taxes.

Besides demanding that Wu retract his offer, organizations such as 
Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan and Taiwan Justice Action Church 
also requested the Taiwanese electorate to act and rescind the Act 
Governing Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the 
Mainland Area. Led by their leader, Tsai Ting-kuei, members staged a 
protest in front of the Executive Yuan on November 3, 2010.

Chanting slogans such as “Taiwan and China – one country on each 
side!”, demonstrators protested that by invoking the Act Governing 
Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland 
Area in this matter, Premier Wu was tacitly agreeing that Taiwan and 
China's relationship was that of “one country, two systems”, instead 
of “one country on each side”.

Chang Ming-you, CEO of Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan and Yi-Kuang 
Presbyterian Church member said his heart went out to the families of 
these Chinese tourists because they'd lost a loved one in Taiwan. 
However, he underscored that Chinese nationals are not Taiwanese 
citizens and have therefore no right to apply for national 
compensation.

Chang's point of contention was that Premier Wu – a premier and top 
representative of Taiwan – shouldn't hand out a compensation that is 
by definition only reserved for citizens and use Taiwanese taxpayers' 
hard-earned money in this way when insurance companies and travel 
agencies had already given their own compensation package to these 
families as per their agreement with them. 

As for the Act Governing Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan 
Area, Chang argued that it abolished according to the will of 
Taiwanese voters through a referendum. 

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