Pray for the Philippines Malawi

The head of Indonesia's Bureau complain about Taiwan's subnormal regulation

Jakarta, April 15 (CNA) Compared with other countries, Indonesian migrant workers employed in Taiwan receive the highest salaries, an Indonesian labor official posted in Taiwan was quoted as saying in a report carried Friday by Indonesia's Antara news agency. Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan receive about NT$17,000 (US$525.88) per month, said Devriel Sogia, head of the labor division at Indonesia's economic and trade office in Taipei. The salary for Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan was about NT$15,840 in 1997, and was raised to NT$17,000 in 2015, he was quoted as saying in the report. There are about 238,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, and they are considered to be loyal, diligent and friendly by their Taiwanese employees, according to Devriel. He also noted the need to enhance vocational skills for Indonesian migrant workers to help them get better prepared for working in foreign countries, to minimize the impact of culture shock. Meanwhile, Nusron Wahid, head of Indonesia's Bureau for the Placement and Protection of Foreign Workers, has lauded Taiwan's treatment of Indonesian migrant workers. Taiwan is trying to make life for these workers more comfortable, he said. Indonesian migrant workers who remit their salaries back home are conducive to social and economic development in Indonesia, he said, adding that they also contribute to Taiwan's economic productivity. Indonesia is the largest source of migrant workers for Taiwan, followed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.

Taiwanese travel agencies banned from trips to Philippines

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  AFPTV - Taiwan holds a military exercise in waters near the northern Philippines in response to the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, after rejecting repeated apologies from Manila. Duration: 00:55

Taipei (The China Post/ANN) - Taiwan's Tourism Bureau announced yesterday that all domestic travel agencies are banned from taking any tour groups to the Philippines after the Executive Yuan recently announced a "red" travel alert against the Philippines, one of eight second-stage sanctions issued against the Philippines over the shooting of a local fisherman in disputed waters.

According to the Tourism Bureau, travel agencies that violate this policy will receive a fine between NT$30,000 (US$997) and NT$50,000 (US$1,700).

The Tourism Bureau said all travel agencies are requested to stop issuing promotions or advertisements regarding travel to the Philippines.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs listed all of the Philippines as being in the "red" travel alert zone, according to the Tourism Bureau. This designation advises people to not travel to those areas.

After the Tourism Bureau announced on Wednesday that tourists scheduled to go to the Philippines can receive full refunds after deducting a certain portion of fees, over 30 percent of tourists have decided to cancel their trips and apply for refunds, according to local travel agencies.

Local travel agencies, including Lion Travel and Cola Tours, said that over 30 percent of tourists chose to instead participate in tours to other countries with discounted prices, while other tourists have not altered their schedules on the assumption that the relationship between Taiwan and the Philippines will be resolved.

The Cabinet enacted the second stage of retaliatory measures on Wednesday.

The Travel Agency Association (TAA) said that tours scheduled for Boracay and Cebu have been filled, with no openings available until July. Airlines, including Mandarin Airlines, Philippine Airlines, and Far Eastern Air Transport, have agreed to refund the payment of charter flights, the TAA said.

The TAA, however, said the association is still negotiating with hotels in the Philippines regarding refunds for cancelled reservations.

According to the TAA, around 210,000 Taiwanese visit the Philippines annually, which is about 5 percent of all Taiwanese travelers. Taiwanese tourists, however, make up the fifth largest group of travelers to the Philippines, the TAA said.

The TAA estimated that travel agencies will lose about NT$2.5 billion (US$83 million) annually as a result of the sanctions.