Published on August 27, 2005

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian yesterday told relevant departments to quickly determine the cause of a riot started by a group of Thai workers and improve living conditions for the workers.

His instructions came amid visits by a senior Thai Labour Ministry official and a Thai House of Representatives delegation in Taiwan to learn about the incident.

The riot on Sunday saw about 100 Thai workers at a rapid-transit-system construction project torch a work dormitory and vandalise facilities to protest against mistreatment by a manpower agency hired by the Kaohsiung Mass Transit Bureau to manage the workers in their living quarters.

Chen said the incident involved not only a labour-management dispute but also abuse of human rights and damage to the island’s image, according to a statement released by the presidential office.

Chen said he also backed a probe into any alleged involvement of government officials in receiving kickbacks over the hiring of the Thais.

The incident prompted Thailand to send Nakorn Silapa-archa, chief of the inspector-general’s office of the Labour Ministry, to Taiwan on Wednesday to investigate the cause of the riot. A Thai parliamentary delegation also arrived in Taipei yesterday to look into the problem.

The workers, complaining they had been attacked with an electric cattle prod for drinking alcohol, burned a dormitory, the management centre and other facilities in protest.

Initial investigations pointed the finger at Hua Pan, the company hired by the Kaohsiung bureau to house the workers, for alleged mistreatment, including “inhumane” living conditions in the dormitory and workers being unfairly fined for small transgressions.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, The Nation

Taipei

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