I must apologize for the past few weeks almost being angry posts, but it's just a lot has gone on here. One recent thing has kept me bitter for the past few weeks. Recently the Taipei train station started to close it's lobby on the weekends. The reason is specifically to stop immigrants from meeting there. Allow me to explain.
Most immigrant workers in Taiwan are from the poorer south east asian countries. They work mostly as caretakers for the young and elderly. As such they don''t have their own apartment, and they don't have many days off. Meaning when they do have time off and want to meet friends they have to find a convenient public place. For years this has been the area around the Taipei train station.
Recently an extremely large amount gathered there to celebrate a Muslim holiday. When a thunderstorm started, they went into the the train station to be dry. This led to many taiwanese complaining there were too many people inside. So after that the train station's main lobby has been closed, with the intent of not letting immigrant workers gather there.
As usual the Taiwaense government did not do their best to research the situation. That it was a perfect storm of a holiday and an actual thunderstorm which led to there being so many people inside. Instead this led to their over reaction. This has led to there being protests, but the biggest thing is the reaction from most Taiwanese who support this decision. It's even more upsetting when until 1986 Taiwanese didn't have the right to meet in large groups in public, and what would have happened if those Taiwanese who did protest this and gave their lives, never did that, and just said "yes the government is right."
So i definitely support their continued fighting, for equal rights. I also recognize their need for a new large space to meet, that has an indoor location in case of uncooperative weather. So I feel these 14 buildings with nothing in them would be perfect, but of course the government will never open them up to those immigrant workers. Cause in Taiwan immigrant workers are lower than dogs.
