A campaign billboard by independent Kaohsiung City Council candidate Lee Hung-yi has triggered strong backlash.
The poster reportedly showed a turbaned man alongside an inverted Indian flag under a prohibition sign, expressing his opposition to Taiwan’s policy of hiring Indian migrant workers.
What happened?
According to reports by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) and Taiwan News, the candidate Lee Hung-yi, a borough warden in Kaohsiung City’s Siaogang District and independent contender in the upcoming city council polls, displayed a billboard featuring a “no” symbol over the Indian flag along with an image of a turbaned man.
Speaking to media outlet CNA, Lee Hung-yi defended the billboard, saying he was not opposed to migrant workers in general. However, he stated that he objected to Taiwan’s policy of admitting more workers from India, arguing that the plan lacked adequate management mechanisms and support systems. He reportedly mentioned the message was meant to convey his objection to Taiwan’s plan to hire migrant workers from India.
“The Taiwanese are not particularly fond of Indians. One political candidate in Kaohsiung vows to ban Indians from immigrating,” Miles Cheong, a popular Malaysian journalist and writer wrote on X while sharing a clip from a Taiwanese news channel where journalist claimed that Indian-born residents in the country stated the sign made them uneasy, as per Times Of India.
The billboard has drawn criticism for alleged racial discrimination and has sparked debate over immigration policy in Taiwan. The main opposition party, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has also raised concerns, warning that “runaway” Indian migrant workers could “imperil women’s safety” in the country.
An resident in Taiwan called the billboard “blatant and direct racial discrimination” in a social media post cited by CNA. The individual said that while differing views on migrant worker policy are understandable, “expressing it in this way really doesn’t seem right”.
The post further suggested that the campaign appeared to use physical appearance and cultural symbols to stir resentment against a particular community.
“Theres roughly 7,000 Indians – almost all in manufacturing of high-tech things like Realtek, Foxconn, TSMC [in Taiwan]. India is establishing semicon and many chip startup companies are willing to absorb them if they choose to return. A good thing for India,” a user wrote on X.
India-Taiwan MoU in 2024
In 2024, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to bring in migrant workers, though the agreement faced criticism in some sections of Taiwanese society.
Last month, Taiwan’s Labour Minister Hung Sun-han informed lawmakers that the first batch of about 1,000 workers from India could arrive as soon as this year. He added that administrative clearances, medical examinations and document verification are still being completed between Taipei and New Delhi.
The labour mobility agreement has encountered opposition from parts of Taiwan’s political establishment, especially the Kuomintang (KMT), even though it had previously received backing during earlier parliamentary discussions.
Experts cited by Firstpost suggested that the criticism is largely driven by electoral politics rather than indicating any significant deterioration in India–Taiwan relations.
Anushka Saxena noted that the main challenge in India–Taiwan relations continues to be the “slow pace of cooperation” rather than isolated political objections. She reportedly observed that while frameworks and agreements are already in place in areas like maritime cooperation, cyber engagement and investment, administrative and bureaucratic delays are still hampering their implementation.
