Billboards showing a turbaned man with a 'no entry' sign put up by a candidate for the upcoming local body elections in Taiwan have sparked a massive debate on social media. Political candidate Lee Hung-yi put up a controversial board on Shanming Road in the city's Siaogang District. Under the no symbol is a picture of a man wearing a turban and an inverted flag of India, promising to ban Indian immigration into Taiwan. This is among the many promises made by Lee Hung-Yi.
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Hung Yi is currently the chief of Gangming ward in the city's Siaogang district, who is contesting as an independent candidate in the Nov city council elections. The images circulated widely on Taiwanese social media.
"Clearly, it means I oppose introducing Indian migrant workers. I won't remove the billboard. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion," said the candidate to a local news channel.
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Indians found it offensive
Ian Miles Cheong, a well-known Malaysian journalist and writer, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a video from a Taiwanese news channel where the reporter claimed that Indian-born residents in the country said the sign made them feel uncomfortable. "The Taiwanese are not particularly fond of Indians. One political candidate in Kaohsiung vows to ban Indians from immigrating," wrote Miles Cheong in the caption.
In an interview with the channel, Mrs V said "It's really unfriendly toward our people. You can't display such a racist sign in such a public place, I hope they'll remove the billboard."
The reporter added that members of the Indian community found the billboard offensive and pointed out that the turban shown in the advertisement specifically represents followers of Sikhism rather than Indians as a whole. The report also noted concerns that the message could reinforce negative stereotypes about migrant workers.
Only against Indian workers
When questioned by local media, Lee said he was not against migrant workers in general, only Indian ones, reports The Times of India. The statement drew immediate backlash from Joseph Wu, Taiwan's longest-serving former foreign minister and current secretary general of the National Security Council.
"I feel ashamed to see a local politician doing this to catch attention. I condemn such despicable conduct in a very welcoming society. I will continue to work hard to strengthen Taiwan-India mutual cooperation," Wu said.
How are Indians reacting?
An Indian engineer living in Taiwan for the past four years, who requested anonymity, said the anti-India sentiment has largely been limited to social media and has not affected everyday interactions. "We haven't faced any direct racism from anyone here. But we can definitely feel the undercurrent on social media, where Indians are targeted in racist posts being pushed by people with vested interests. This candidate seems to be trying to cash in on that trend to attract young voters," he was quoted as saying.
"A certain section of the country's politicians ran campaigns against the move, creating a kind of fear psychosis as if Indian workers would land the very next day and take over the country. That is not going to be the case - there are many checks and balances in the hiring process," media professional and documentary-maker Suvam Pal said.
How is this legal?
Numerous netizens reacted to the video, expressing concerns for the Indian residents in Taiwan. "As an Indian these things used to affect me but now this kind of hate and vile racism so common and happens so often that now I don't really feel anything, actually if now someone says good things about Indians , it feels weird to me," wrote a user.
"Only 3500 to 4000 Indians work in Taiwan while people from countries like Vietnam and Indonesia go there in large numbers. They are spreading propaganda against Indians just to get votes," added another. "How is this legal? They allow this and expect the free world to save them if China attacks them?" asked one.
More than 7,000 Indians reside in Taiwan at present, according to the National Immigration Agency, making them the ninth-largest foreign resident group on the island. According to them, the billboards are troubling but not entirely surprising.
"It seems to be an extension of anti-India propaganda on popular social media platforms like TikTok and Threads in Taiwan, being pushed by certain countries that work against India's interests," said Arpita Biswas, a marine science research scholar at National Taiwan University who has lived in the country for past five years.
She added that Taiwanese society was largely welcoming, but hostility towards Indians existed in a small section, and was being amplified online. "We come across anti-India propaganda posts almost every day. They are largely driven by a lack of understanding about Indians and their culture due to limited people-to-people contact," she added.
Taiwan condemns discriminatory remarks
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), Taiwan’s main representative office in India, has strongly condemned discriminatory remarks directed at Indians. "Taiwan has long been committed to planning the introduction of Indian migrant workers. Regarding the recent discriminatory publications/comments made by certain individuals in Taiwan, we solemnly clarify that such biased remarks do not represent our stance. Taiwan cherishes the values of democracy, inclusivity, and diversity, and supports people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and India. We deeply regret and strongly condemn any form of prejudice, racism and discrimination. TECC sincerely look forward to, and will continue to promote, further exchanges between both sides to enhance mutual understanding," the official statement read.
(With TOI inputs)
