Workers accused of ‘breaking the law’

with Xiamen Hai’an Services Co, a private company, not the government. We need to protect these young people who just want to do their jobs.”

Chang Te-wei, one of the assistants, said: “My job does not break the law. I am hired by a company that pays my salary and insurance. I used my experience in Taiwan to gain a job on the mainland where I help to plan and transform shabby villages. Assistants

At the end of December, authorities on Taiwan said residents employed in Fujian province as assistants to community directors had breached laws that ban them from working for local governments on the Chinese mainland.

Those who break the law governing cross-Straits relations are subject to fines ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$500,000 ($3,246 to $16,230).

The authorities said everyone in this

position has been contacted and asked to explain their situation.

In response, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, said the island authorities always act against their compatriots’ interests.

Hong Yizhen, deputy head of the civil affairs bureau in Xiamen’s Haicang district, said: “The assistants from Taiwan signed employment contracts

from Taiwan are barred from some jobs, including work related to the Communist Party of China, elections, or financing for village or community committees.”

Huang Yu-ching, another assistant, said, “I didn’t reply to the message because there is nothing wrong with this job.”