The case of 350 stateless overseas Chinese students

1.    Introduction

In the Thai-Burmese region, majority overseas Chinese is treated as foreigners whom are unable to apply for legitimate ID card. They are only provided with temporary ID status which only allows them to buy daily necessities but are not allowed to engage in any business transaction.

Around 1971, Taiwan opened its door to overseas immigrant to allow Chinese destitute to return to homeland to enroll in higher education. Many of its retired professor in Taiwan today are the result of the then opened policy. Many Thailand and Burmese Chinese student were given national identity status on the following day as soon as they returned which is a far cry from the current policy which requires applicant to wait a longer time frame. Nowadays, the overseas students were given national status only after they have resided continuously in Taiwan for full seven years, which has resulted in innumerableness impatient stateless Thai-Burmese nationals to borrow money in order to meet the new policies which resulted in a sad tragedy.

 In the Thai-Burmese area, a refugee average living expenses per month is approximately 3000 Taiwanese dollars which covers the living expenses for an entire family of eight to ten people. A passport which enables them to return to Taiwan to seek higher education would costs them 30,000 to 50,000 Taiwanese dollars. Some families even sell their fields, domestic animals and all their valuables in order to made their dreams come true for their children to return to homeland to receive higher education. With the non-recognized national status of overseas Chinese, the Taiwan government can only provide the refugees with temporary passes. With the enticement of returning back to Taiwan, many overseas Chinese has taken desperate risks to purchase death certificates which are not reported to the authority to enter Taiwan.

2. Students’ background 

Nobody has expected the embarrassed and difficult position they might be in when they flew into Taiwan with joy and hope. Burmese student normally arrive in Taiwan using temporary tourist’s visa and will then apply for student’s passes with the relevant Taiwan embassy before enrolling themselves in schools. Quite ironically, the relevant authority has not noticed the dissimilarity in the names on their passport and the limited countries they could visit which are clearly stated. Many applicants thought that they are qualified legitimately, but none knows that this brutal event is the one which will result in being them not able to return home. It is not that we are not willing to go home, but are not able. Some schoolmates has not returned home for several years to see their old parents and can only depend on the telephone to communicate with their loved ones back home.

For those who made it to Taiwan, they started to bear the responsibility of providing for their own living expenses and miscellaneous school fees. Some work part-time to support themselves. Not only have they got to support themselves, they have to repay the loan they have taken to allow themselves to come to Taiwan initially.

 Because of the tremendous pressures they are facing, some students have decided to stop schooling or discontinued their studies midway. Some started to work as black-markets laborers and given up their students’ passes which result in losing their healthcare subsidies and for many, they ends up worst. Many have to avoid the detection of police and fail to make ends meet despite the fact that they must remit money back home.

 In the beginning of May, eight schoolmates have submitted their appeal to CEO Liu Xiaohua, regarding their stateless and overstaying issues. Three schoolmates surrendered themselves to the court for holding fake passports which ended up with the public prosecutor confiscating their passports and charged them with document forgery. Nevertheless the authority wasn’t able to charge them for document forgery indictment. After this incident was exposed, 350 stateless students left Taiwan abruptly to the surprise of Miss Liu.

After passing the bill of Section 16, protocol 2 in the immigration law, the Taiwan government fails to announce it publicly. Chinese Association still to recruits overseas students and fails to inform them of the consequence for holding fake passports and the law they would be breaking.

After Attorney Liao Jiannan hears of our situation, he leads us to seek assistance with “foundation of law issues assistance”. The officials hold different views with respect to the matter. Not only they has not solved our problems, the delays resulted in the overstaying of the students. Some students were caught working illegally and were put in Three Gorges and Yilan Luo detention centres.

As youth passes by quickly, the fate for many of us have been sealed. Many have missed their loved ones and families back home as Mid-Autumn Festival begins to draw near.