Jakarta office rebuts claims of entry ban’s political motivation
Staff writer, with CNA
The Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta on Saturday said that Taiwan’s decision to indefinitely extend an entry ban on Indonesian migrant workers was based purely on COVID-19 prevention considerations and not politics.
The office said in a statement that Taiwan is willing to reopen its doors to Indonesian migrant workers when the two nations reach a consensus on disease prevention measures.
The representative office responded to comments by Benny Rhamdani, head of the Indonesian National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers, that questioned the motives behind Taiwan’s decision.
The US can learn a lot by looking to Taiwan
By Kevin Frazier
It will soon be three years since I last set foot in Taiwan. Back in 2018, I was among a collection of graduate students from Canada and the US selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the Mosaic Taiwan program. After months of being trapped inside due to COVID-19 prevention measures, I am planning a trip back to Taiwan.
Taiwan is on the top of my list because its strengths have been on display throughout the pandemic. Although these assets were evident in Taiwan in 2018 while absent from the US the pandemic has brought them to the forefront in novel ways.
Entry ban on Indonesian workers unrelated to politics: office
12/19/2020 09:02 PM
CNA file photo
Jakarta, Dec. 19 (CNA) Taiwan s representative office in Jakarta on Saturday said Taiwan s decision to extend indefinitely an entry ban on Indonesian migrant workers was based purely on epidemic prevention considerations and not on politics.
In a statement, the Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Jakarta said Taiwan is willing to reopen its doors to Indonesian migrant workers when the two sides come to a consensus on epidemic prevention measures.
TETO was responding to comments by Benny Rhamdani, head of Indonesia s Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI), that questioned the motives behind Taiwan s decision.
CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang. CNA photo Dec. 19, 2020
Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) Four additional imported COVID-19 cases were reported in Taiwan on Saturday, boosting the number of total cases to 763 in the country since the pandemic hit Taiwan in early 2020, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The four cases involve citizens of Indonesia, Myanmar and India and a Taiwanese who was in the United States, who all presented proof of a negative COVID-19 test issued within 72 hours of boarding their flights as required, the center said in a statement.
The Indonesian, a man in his 20s, arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 1 to begin work on a fishing boat.