TAIPEI — A Taiwanese official suspended from her post yesterday apologized for hurting Taiwan’s image after she was deported by the United States over a maid abuse case.
“I regret and apologize that the incident caused the outside world to have a negative impression of (Taiwan’s) government and foreign ministry,” said Liu Hsien-hsien, ex-director of Taiwan’s mission in Kansas City, Missouri.
“However, the accusations that I abused the maids are untrue and I never pocketed any public funds,” she said in a statement.
Liu has been suspended pending a review by a top government watchdog in charge of disciplinary punishment of civil servants, the foreign ministry said.
The ministry said its own probe found Liu guilty of “severe administrative negligence” over the hiring of foreign maids although evidence was inconclusive on the abuse claims.
Liu was deported earlier this week after she pleaded guilty to charges of mistreating two Philippine housekeepers working in her Missouri home, according to the US Justice Department.
Liu was arrested in November for allegedly treating the Filipinas like slaves. She reached a plea deal with prosecutors that allowed her to avoid spending up to five years in prison on a charge of fraud in foreign labor contracting.
She was sentenced to time served on a fraud charge and was ordered to pay $80,044 in restitution to the housekeepers, as well as a fine of $11,040 to cover the full costs of her incarceration and deportation.
The case came to light after one of the housekeepers sought help from a Filipino she met at the grocery store.
She told him that Liu had taken away her passport, told her she was not allowed to leave the house without permission, made her work 16 to 18 hour days at a quarter of the agreed wages, monitored her with video surveillance cameras and restricted when she could sleep.
Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but has remained a key ally and a leading arms supplier to the island. AFP
September 18 –
International Equal Pay Day
“Increase wages now,
more than other cost items.
For widespread, practical equality!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the recommendations of the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry
against serious violations of protocols of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association.
Accept the National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
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September –
5 Sept – Intl Day of Charity
7 Sept – Intl Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies
8 Sept – International Literacy Day
12 Sept – United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
15 Sept – International Day of Democracy
16 Sept – International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
17 Sept – World Patient Safety Day
18 Sept – International Equal Pay Day
21 Sept – International Day of Peace
26 Sept – International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
27 Sept – World Tourism Day
28 Sept – International Day for Universal Access to Information
29 Sept – International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
30 Sept – World Maritime Day
Monthly Observances:
Health, Safety and Sanitation Month
National Clean-up Month
Civil Service Month
National Peace Consciousness Month
Social Security Month
Rule of Law Month
National Teachers’ Month (Sept 5-Oct 4)
Weekly Observances:
Sept 17 – 23:
World Clean and Green Week
Week 2: Education Week
Week 4: Medicine Week
Last Week: National Family Week
Daily Observances:
Third Saturday:
International Coastal Clean-up Day
Third Monday: World Health Day
Last Friday: National Maritime Day
Sept 8: National Literacy Day
Sept 15: Philippine Medicine Day
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