DPP unveils new immigrant committee

By Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen, third right, yesterday presents a certificate to TV star Tran Thi Hoang Phuon, third left, a lecturer in Vietnamese at National Chengchi University, for serving as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party’s new immigrant committee.

Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

Members of a new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) committee on immigrants were inaugurated yesterday to advise the party on immigration issues amid rapid growth in the number of immigrants living in Taiwan.

The committee was established to address the needs of new immigrants, which make up the fifth-largest ethnic group in the nation, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at a ceremony held at DPP headquarters in Taipei.

The DPP was the first party to commit itself to issues relating to Aborigines and the party’s new immigrant committee is another step forward, said Tsai, who doubles as DPP chair.

“The number of immigrants has reached nearly 500,000 and the number of their children is more than 350,000. As a party responsive to public opinion and emphasizing ethnic pluralism, the DPP has to address the needs and opinions of new immigrants,” Tsai said.

The committee would help the nation become more multicultural and tolerant, as well as promoting exchanges with other cultures, she said.

Twelve committee members were announced yesterday, including TV star Tran Thi Hoang Phuong; Changhua County New Immigrants Association director Lee Meng-han (李孟涵); Indonesian lecturer Hung Ching-ching (洪晶晶); Thai dancer Hsu Chen-ni (許珍妮); Chang Yi-hui (張義惠), a member of a women’s group who supported Tsai’s presidential campaign; and Hualien County New Immigrant Association director Hung Yu (洪玉).

Chinese immigrant Ning Jiarong (寧家榮), the founder of a cosmetics company; and National Chi Nan University professor Ho Ching-jung (何景榮), an Indonesian-Taiwanese, were also named.

The other committee members are experts on immigration issues — DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青); women’s rights campaigner Tsai Shun-jou (蔡順柔); National Cheng Kung University professor Tan Le-kun (陳麗君); and National Kaohsiung University professor Ho Ching-jung (何青蓉).

Tran, who is to be chairwoman, said the establishment of the committee shows that the nation’s leadership has attached great importance to issues concerning immigrants.

A wider participation of immigrants in the nation’s decisionmaking process would harness the creativity of immigrants, Tran said.

Ning, a former member of the Chinese Communist Party, said she had withdrawn from the party and obtained Republic of China citizenship.

Her work on the committee would see her address issues that concern Chinese spouses living in Taiwan, such as the relatively longer process for Chinese spouses to obtain citizenship compared with immigrants from other nations.

There are 330,000 Chinese spouses in Taiwan and their rights have improved over the years, and she would seek further improvements, despite the “historical factors,” Ning said.