Cambodian women married to Taiwanese men protest outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei yesterday. The group accused the ministry of discriminating against Cambodians trying to obtain Taiwanese citizenship. (PHOTO; CHENG HSUEH-YUNG, TAIPEI TIMES)Sunday, Mar 04, 2007
Women's group accuses MOFA of discrimination
RECOGNITION: Just like Japanese, Cambodians cannot obtain Taiwanese citizenship without abandoning their citizenship by birth, which their country will not allow
By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Taipei Times (Taiwan)
A group of Cambodian women who are married to Taiwanese yesterday accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of discrimination against them on the issue of obtaining Taiwanese citizenship.
Approximately 2,800 Cambodian women who are married to Taiwanese men are not able to become Taiwanese citizens despite having families and years of residency in Taiwan, the Transnational Sisters' Association, an organization that aims to protect foreign spouses' rights, said.
The Nationality Law requires that foreign nationals submit a certificate of renunciation of nationality (CRN) issued by their country of origin before they can obtain Taiwanese citizenship.
However, the task is impossible for Cambodians.
"Cambodia doesn't recognize Taiwan and its government refuses to issue such certificates to Cambodians who wish to obtain Taiwanese citizenship," Shawn Wu, secretary-general of the group, told the press conference.
In some cases when certificates were issued, they were rejected by the ministry because of the remark "valid only for the People's Republic of China on the documents," Wu said. "How do we live and work here [in Taiwan] without a national identity card?"
"I'm afraid that I cannot come back if I go back to Cambodia to visit," said I Say Hun, a Cambodian woman who has been married to her Taiwanese husband for six years.
Cambodia is not the only country that refuses to issue CRNs to national wishing to become Taiwanese citizens.
Japan is another such country, also because of its one-China policy.
"But they have found a way around it," Wu said, adding that "the ministry cannot discriminate against Cambodians."
However, MOFA rebutted the accusation.
"It's really the marriage certificates rather than CRNs that cause the problem," MOFA deputy spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said during a telephone interview with the Taipei Times.
Yeh explained that most Cambodian nationals who applied for Taiwanese citizenship had fake marriage certificates.
"With fake marriage certificates, the Cambodian government couldn't issue them CRNs and Taiwan couldn't grant them citizenship," she said.
In fact, MOFA granted them residency during a period of time regardless of the authenticity of their documents, Yeh said. "But granting citizenship is a whole other issue."
Yeh admitted that Japan also adheres to the one-China policy and wouldn't issue CRNs to its nationals wishing to obtain Taiwanese citizenship.
"But the situation is different," she said.
"First of all, Japanese who married Taiwanese all had authentic marriage certificates, certified by their government," she said.
"Second, the Japanese government would issue written documents to its national requesting CRNs stating that they [the Japanese government] cannot do so because of such and such reason," Yeh said.
By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Taipei Times (Taiwan)
A group of Cambodian women who are married to Taiwanese yesterday accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of discrimination against them on the issue of obtaining Taiwanese citizenship.
Approximately 2,800 Cambodian women who are married to Taiwanese men are not able to become Taiwanese citizens despite having families and years of residency in Taiwan, the Transnational Sisters' Association, an organization that aims to protect foreign spouses' rights, said.
The Nationality Law requires that foreign nationals submit a certificate of renunciation of nationality (CRN) issued by their country of origin before they can obtain Taiwanese citizenship.
However, the task is impossible for Cambodians.
"Cambodia doesn't recognize Taiwan and its government refuses to issue such certificates to Cambodians who wish to obtain Taiwanese citizenship," Shawn Wu, secretary-general of the group, told the press conference.
In some cases when certificates were issued, they were rejected by the ministry because of the remark "valid only for the People's Republic of China on the documents," Wu said. "How do we live and work here [in Taiwan] without a national identity card?"
"I'm afraid that I cannot come back if I go back to Cambodia to visit," said I Say Hun, a Cambodian woman who has been married to her Taiwanese husband for six years.
Cambodia is not the only country that refuses to issue CRNs to national wishing to become Taiwanese citizens.
Japan is another such country, also because of its one-China policy.
"But they have found a way around it," Wu said, adding that "the ministry cannot discriminate against Cambodians."
However, MOFA rebutted the accusation.
"It's really the marriage certificates rather than CRNs that cause the problem," MOFA deputy spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said during a telephone interview with the Taipei Times.
Yeh explained that most Cambodian nationals who applied for Taiwanese citizenship had fake marriage certificates.
"With fake marriage certificates, the Cambodian government couldn't issue them CRNs and Taiwan couldn't grant them citizenship," she said.
In fact, MOFA granted them residency during a period of time regardless of the authenticity of their documents, Yeh said. "But granting citizenship is a whole other issue."
Yeh admitted that Japan also adheres to the one-China policy and wouldn't issue CRNs to its nationals wishing to obtain Taiwanese citizenship.
"But the situation is different," she said.
"First of all, Japanese who married Taiwanese all had authentic marriage certificates, certified by their government," she said.
"Second, the Japanese government would issue written documents to its national requesting CRNs stating that they [the Japanese government] cannot do so because of such and such reason," Yeh said.
5 comments:
haha.. that's funny to see these asians discriminate against each other. They all look the same to me, just that generally the korean have a long back but short legs where as the Chinese depends on whcih part of China, chinese are looking funny, except Hong Kong who mixed British.
Go women, sue the Taiwanese, Korean, the Japanese, and the Chinese. haha...
2,800 "Cambodian" women living in Taiwain??? All of those women are of mixed Cambodian Chinese ancestries. Well, if they want to be with their Chinese Taiwanese too much, then the game is their to play. I have never heard of "Cambodian" women in this large number marrying foreign men and even dare leave Cambodia the land of their birth to live in foreign land before. Are those women sex slaves or something? Well like I said earlier, let those horny freaking horrible women rot in hell as outcasts in that damned place called Taiwan or whatever it is.
Well...when people are hungry, they
do anythings.
The reasons for them to made the
mistaks are:
1-Education (there were ever news
reports about this problem before).
2-Employment (there were not enought job for them in Cambodia).
3-Their Living condition in Cambodia is poor. I am sure many more reasons for them to made bad
decision. Example the Cambodians agent didn't tell them the true.
Our Government; their job is to over look for the poeple of their country.
Everyone made the mistak 1 or 2 in their life time.
Bati
Hey Bati,
If I sounded like so harsh to those Cambodian sisters TRAPPED in Taiwan, it is because I fear for the worst that despite their own personal problems, somehow, they end up dragging Cambodian national dignity into their mess. I don't know why I keep separating the business of the individuals from the business of the country. I guess I get annoyed when I read news about the Fillipino women being abused, mistreated, devalued and subjugated in these Eastern places like Hong Kong and Taiwan before. I guess I have expected from our Cambodian sisters to follow the footsteps of those Fillipino women. I guess I am so disappointed in those Cambodian sisters, that is why I am so harsh on them. In addition, I have this personal belief or assumption about these so-called "light-skinned" Cambodian women who think that it is best for them to be with their Eastern Chinese related genes or whatever. That is why what I said about them earlier seems heartless. Anyway, I feel their pain, struggle, and plight as much as any compassionate Khmer person. Those Cambodians sisters are indeed still Khmer because they still know how to write Khmer scripts on their banners. I hope for their best. If my previous words offend any readers, it is not that I am being logical but I take it on a personal level. I should have never done that in the first place.
As long as our Samdach Hun Khvev controls Cambodia. sooner or later only Yuons who have the right to swallow the whole country.
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