Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen says his ministry is on alert for any attempts by IS to recruit members of the foreign laborer community in Taiwan. He was speaking at the Legislature on Thursday.
The Indonesian authority for overseas workers, BNP2TKI, has reported that some radicalized Indonesian laborers have begun to infiltrate democratic countries in East Asia. The agency reports that Taiwan has become a possible target for ISIS recruitment.
Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen says the ministry has not received any information to suggest this might be the case, but he said the ministry will stay alert. The labor ministry contacted the foreign ministry and national security authorities on Thursday morning.
Chen said that foreign workers must have a clean criminal record and pass an individual interview before receiving permission to work in Taiwan. He said the ministry will ask national security authorities to provide guides to IS insignias. The labor ministry will then distribute reference guides to employers. If immigrant workers wear those symbols, they may be deported.
Meanwhile, Legislature President Su Jia-chyuan set off for Brussels on Thursday afternoon to deliver Taiwan’s condolences after the terror attacks that struck the city on Tuesday.
Before departing, he told media that the foreign ministry will use intelligence sources to gauge the risk of IS recruitment efforts targeted at Indonesian workers. He said that while Taiwan has no history of terror attacks, the government cannot afford to be careless. He said that Taiwan’s national security apparatus must gather intelligence and prepare for any eventuality.
Su also urged the public to remain calm, and said that foreign laborers are vetted through a multi-step process with a number of checkpoints.