Public discontent mounts in Taiwan over DPP's policy persecuting mainland spouses

TAIPEI -- Public dissatisfaction is mounting in Taiwan over a recent policy from the region's authorities that requires mainland residents who are married to people born in Taiwan to retroactively submit proof of mainland household registration loss, or risk losing their right to reside in Taiwan.

Dozens of mainland spouses of Taiwan residents attended a meeting in Taipei held by the New Party on Saturday. Participants denounced the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities for unfairly targeting families who have long been settled in Taiwan, and for disrupting their livelihoods.

According to the DPP authorities, spouses from the mainland who have become residents of Taiwan but did not submit the required documentation are now being ordered to do so within three months. Failure to comply could result in the revocation of their residency status and household registration.

Hou Han-ting of the New Party, a councilor on Taipei's city council, called the new policy "unreasonable," accusing the DPP of using mainland spouses as scapegoats amid heightened cross-Strait tensions.

Legal experts at the meeting argued that the policy violates the principle of equality and the non-retroactivity rule under existing laws. Chen Li-ling, a lawyer and New Party spokesperson, urged affected individuals to unite and defend their rights through collective lawsuits.

Several civil society organizations have also voiced opposition. Yeh Ching-yuan, vice chairman of the Taiwan Law and Policy Association, warned that stripping mainland spouses of their Taiwan residency rights could destabilize a large number of families.

Taiwan-based The United Daily News noted in an editorial that the reason why the DPP authorities led by Lai Ching-te target mainland spouses lies in their separatist ideology and the new policy is merely one move of Lai's systematic campaign.