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Taiwanese wife of a
Tibetan protests husband¡¦s status
Staff Writer, with CNA
The Taiwanese wife of a Tibetan man lodged a protest with the government
yesterday, accusing the authorities of discriminating against Taiwanese-Tibetan
marriages by making it difficult for her husband to obtain residency.
Tsai Yung-ching (½²µú´¸), a documentary filmmaker, called on the government to
grant her and her Tibetan husband the right to be together in Taiwan based on
human rights considerations.
Tsai said at a press conference that her husband, Tsering, has had to leave
Taiwan and re-enter every six months for the past two years because the overseas
visa office will only grant him a visitor visa that bears the words ¡§residency
application prohibited.¡¨
Because of his status, Tsering cannot seek employment, nor is he entitled to any
of the social services enjoyed by residents, Tsai said.
She said her husband, who holds a travel document issued by the Indian
government called the Identity Certificate (IC) paper, is a ¡§social-service
refugee,¡¨ who, because he is required to make frequent visa runs, is often not
at home and therefore unable to look after their child.
She asked President Ma Ying-jeou¡¦s (°¨^¤E) wife, Chow Mei-ching (©P¬ü«C), who is
known for her concern for children and their interests, how she could help solve
the trials and tribulations facing her family.
In response, Chou Chung--hsing (©P¤¤¿³), a section chief with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs¡¦ Bureau of Consular Affairs, said Taiwan does not issue resident
visas to travel document holders from anywhere in the world, not just Tibetans.
Wu Pei-chuan (§d¨Ø®S), a National Immigration Agency supervisor, said the agency
issues residency documents based on visas issued by the ministry. In general,
she said, foreign spouses of Republic of China citizens can be granted residency
if they hold a proper short-term (60 days or less) visa, but not if it bears the
words ¡§residency application prohibited.¡¨
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