Taiwan issues 'genuine apology' for minister's racist comments against Indian migrant workers

Taiwan issues 'genuine apology' for minister's racist comments against Indian migrant workers

On Tuesday, Taiwan's labor minister apologized after facing criticism for her "racist" comment regarding the hiring of Indian migrant workers.

The minister sparked controversy by mentioning in an interview that Taiwan plans to hire individuals from India's northeast due to their "similar skin color and eating habits" to Taiwanese people.

On February 26, Taiwan and India agreed to a deal allowing the island to bring in Indian workers to help with their labor shortages. Right now, around 700,000 migrants, mainly from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, are contributing to the workforce on the island.

Additionally, Ms. Hsu mentioned in an interview earlier this month that the choice to hire workers from India's northeastern states is justified because "most of them believe in Christianity."

Even though New Delhi has not expressed public anger, the interview sparked criticism within the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) domestically.

Hsu Ming-chun stated during a legislative hearing that Taiwan's labor policies are designed with equality in mind and do not involve discrimination, as reported by FocusTaiwan.

Legislator Chen Kuan-Ting from the ruling party openly criticized the labor minister's statement, emphasizing, "Taiwan's hiring of migrant workers should never be based on race or ethnicity. Absolutely not."

The outcry led Taiwan's labor and foreign ministries to issue statements and apologize to India.

On Monday, the labor ministry stated, "We will thoroughly assess and enhance, and extend our heartfelt apologies." Taiwan's foreign ministry released a comparable statement and offered an apology without specifying the labor minister, saying, "Lately, in talks with various sectors in Taiwan's society, certain government agencies have made comments that were not entirely fitting," the ministry expressed.

Ms. Hsu clarified in the interview that she praised the abilities and performance of Indian workers because "she wanted to emphasize these qualities."

She had earlier rejected reports about Taiwan hiring up to 100,000 Indian migrant laborers, dismissing it as "fake news."

The Bloomberg report sparked anger on social media, with Taiwanese citizens expressing worries about women's safety and a potential increase in the crime rate due to the arrival of laborers.

I would like to respond to the comments made by Minister of Labor Ming-chun Hsu：

Taiwan's recruitment of migrant workers absolutely cannot be based on race or ethnicity. Period. pic.twitter.com/RHh7ZnZyxs

— 🇹🇼陳冠廷 Kuan-Ting Chen (@kuantingvision) March 4, 2024