2023 Taiwanese Anti-Indian Migrant Worker Protest

A protest with a hundred people in Taiwan calling for a halt to the importation of Indian migrant workers took place on 3 December 2024, when a memorandum of understanding between Taiwan and India was discussed. The agreement allows Taiwan to import Indian migrant workers to address the local labour shortage in Taiwan caused by ageing population. According to one of the senior officials quoted by Bloomberg News, Taiwan could hire as many as 100,000 workers from India. The news coverage provoked backlash on the Internet and led to the protest. It was the first protest in Taiwan specifically calling for a halt to migrant worker imports.

Initially, the Taiwanese government characterised the protest as the result of cognitive warfare, but later promised to strengthen communication and proceed with the policy step by step. Media outlets and experts have expressed concern about the discriminatory nature and stereotypes underlying the protest. Other commentators have suggested that the rule of the People's Republic of China behind misinformation.

Background

Under the pressure of labour shortage, Taiwan began importing migrant worker from the 1980s. In 1992, the "Employment Service Act" () and its corresponding regulations were enacted to provide a legal framework for employing migrant workers. Following this, Taiwanese employers started hiring migrant workers as part of their regular workforce. Common migrant workers in Taiwan do caregivers, construction workers, factory workers, farmworkers, lumberjacks, and fishers. The main source countries for migrant workers in Taiwan are Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Before 2023, Mongolia in 2004 was the latest source country that Taiwan opened to migrant workers.

With a fertility rate below replacement level, Taiwan's labour force has been declining recently. Combined with ageing population, the demand for migrant workers has continued to rise. Labour shortage has become a significant issue for Taiwanese industries. Taiwan's migrant workers' source countries, however, remain heavily reliant on Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, in contrast to other developed Asian countries that have a more diverse range of source countries. For example, Japan and South Korea source migrant workers from more than 10 countries, and both have reformed their immigration policies to attract foreign labour. Taiwan has attempted to develop new source countries by discussing potential agreements with Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Myanmar before; all these efforts failed due to its political status. Meanwhile, India, the most populous country in the world, faced the challenge of lacking enough jobs for its tremendous labour force. India and Taiwan, therefore, sought to resolve their respective issues through mutual pacts.

On 12 September 2023, Chen Chien-jen, then Premier of the Republic of China, met with , then director general of the India-Taipei Association. They agreed to sign two memoranda of understanding on migration and mobility and traditional medicine. Arindam Bagchi, then Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said the MOU will benefit both sides. The agreement expected to be finalised by the end of 2023, according to Chen. In November 2023, negotiations of a mutual pact were almost complete, with Taiwan ''could'' hire as many as 100,000 Indian workers, according to a senior official quoted in Bloomberg News. The report also noted that it would potentially anger China, which has geopolitical tensions with both Taiwan and India.

Protest

After the Bloomberg news, a rumour that Taiwan ''will'' hire 100,000 Indian workers has spread on Dcard and PTT. Opinions opposing the pact have expressed concerned that Indian migrant workers may affect local security from perceptions that sexual assault and murder are quite prevalent in India and that absconded migrant workers in Taiwan could pose a risk. Another concern from opposing opinions is the potential decline in working conditions due to the importation of migrant workers. Some other opinions criticise the government for its hasty decision-making and lack of supporting measures.

Media coverage has noted a racist tendencies that connect Indians with sex crimes, labeling them as "potential rapists" or suggesting that "Taiwan will become a land of rape" on social media. Some media outlets have also noted that emphasised violence against women in India to create a negative impression on Indian workers.

On 3 December 2023, a citizen activist group called "反對增加新移工國" (lit, "Oppose Adding New Migrant Worker Countries") held a protest named "守護民主台灣大遊行 123別印來" (lit, "A Great Protest of Protecting Taiwan: 123 Don't Come In") in Ketagalan Boulevard, Taipei, with four demands to the government, including "stop adding new migrant worker countries", "provide an effective platform for people to speak out", "impose special laws on managing migrant workers", and "improve labour conditions". The protest, with about a hundred participants, was organised by Yuna. Yuna emphasised that the demands and doubts about India were collated from Dcard and Line. It was the first protest whose demands opposed the importation of migrant workers.

In response, held a protest called "政府承擔、仲介滾蛋" (lit, "government kick in, agents kick out") on 10 December, calling on the government to lead the hiring process and abolish private agents involved in hiring migrant workers.

Government response

Hsu Ming-chun, then Minister of Labor, responded that "Taiwan will hire 100,000 Indians" is misinformation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also responded that racist feeds on social media are Internet manipulation done by China based on their similar trends from fake accounts. During the protests, traces of modular message manipulation appeared, according to national security departments in Taiwan. The official Twitter account of Ministry of Foreign Affairs later stated that any attempts to destroy goodwill in the Milk Tea Alliance won't prevail. Protesters, on the other hand, disagreed with the government's tone. Yuna denied allegations of discrimination or manipulation during the protest.

In December 2023, in response to the protest, the Minister of Labor stated that they will plan supporting measures. Any introduction of new migrant workers will be gradually opened up. On 16 February 2024, Taiwan and India signed the memorandum of understanding, agreed to import migrant workers after the preparations completed. In November 2024, to test the situation, Taiwan agreed to import 1,000 Indian migrant workers to factories in Taiwan, and adjusted importing policy according to the results and needs.

Reaction

Many Indians found the protest offensive and discriminatory, according to news coverage. Priya Lee Lalwani, an Indian who has resided in Taiwan since 1987, expressed her disappointment with the protest, indicating that the origin of the protest came from a misunderstanding between Taiwanese and Indian people. Taiwan Association for India Studies () issued an announcement, expressing regret about hate speech and the fact that Taiwanese society does not understand Indian society and culture enough. Yuna, the organiser of the protest, corrected their protest demands after hearing how Indians see the protest.

On the other hand, Sun Chi-pen (), then executive of Taiwan-India Association (), observed that many protesters were concerned labour conditions in Taiwan, and distrust the ruling government. Sun also suggested that the government should strengthen communication and formulate and improve supporting measures.

, Associate Professor of China Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University, described racist feeds on social media as "malicious propaganda" in her column of NDTV, and critised the feeds ignore Taiwan's sexual crimes. She also suggested that China may spread disinformation of stereotypes against Indians, citing '' China Times's'' media coverage as evidence. Fact checks by and was also underway at the time. According to NHK, most protesters were aware of the memorandum of understanding from Dcard, while the post was written with words used in China instead of Taiwan. NHK also discussed the possibility of cognitive warfare by its quick spreading on Dcard and Twitter.

, distinguished Professor of Sociology at National Taiwan University, who studies migrant workers in Taiwan, mentioned Taiwanese people's tendency to sexualise foreign people behind the protest, and the legacy of behind womens' participation. , a former reporter who was a correspondent in India, said the environment builds rape in India cannot be cloned into countries migrant workers worked in. Both Karen Hsu (), founder of the Global Worker's Organization (), and Yoyo Yu, emphasise the rule of mass media in Taiwan building stereotype of Indians and hate speech further.

See also

* I-Soon leak
* India–Taiwan relations
* 2024 United Kingdom riots
* Irish anti-immigration protests

Notes

References

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External links

臺印度勞工合作備忘錄 勞動部今送請立法院查照
*
駐印度台北經濟文化中心與印度台北協會促進僱用印度勞工瞭解備忘錄

2023 protests
India–Taiwan relations
Migrant workers
December 2023 in Taiwan
Anti-Indian sentiment in Asia
Chinese information operations and information warfare