A candidate running for an upcoming local body election in Taiwan has triggered controversy after putting up billboards showing a turbaned man beside an Indian flag with a “no entry sign”. The image was widely circulated on Taiwanese social media, drawing sharp reactions from the island’s Indian community.
Lee Hung-Yi, the chief of Gangming ward in Kaohsiung city’s Siaogang district, put up the billboard two weeks ago for his current campaign as an independent candidate in the November city council elections.
When local media questioned Lee, he said he was not against migrant workers in general, only Indian ones. The statement drew further backlash, especially from Taiwan’s longest serving former foreign minister and current secretary general of the National Security Council, Joseph Wu.
“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,” said Wu.
Lee has not yet responded to Wu’s comments.
According to the National Immigration Agency, Indians make up the ninth-largest foreign resident group on the island, at an estimate of just over 7,000.
Arpita Biswas, a marine science research scholar at National Taiwan University, who has lived in Taiwan for the last five years, said that while the Taiwanese society was largely welcoming, hostitlity towards Indians existed in a small section and was being magnified online.
“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,” she said “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.”
An engineer, who has lived in Taiwan for four years and chose to remain anonymous, said, “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.”
Taiwan-based media professional and documentary-maker Suvam Pal attributed the campaign to reports that the Taiwanese government was planning to recruit one lakh Indian workers to address a labour shortage, instilling fear in the minds of people that they would take over the country.
