Nov 12, 2011
TAIPEI -
A Taiwanese legislator has introduced a Bill - similar to Singapore's Maintenance of Parents Act - which could jail or fine adults who abandon their elderly parents.
The proposed Taiwanese law, which passed an initial review in the Legislative Yuan Parliament late on Thursday, will compel offenders to pay for their parents' living expenses in either a lump-sum payment, a trust fund or a monthly allowance deducted straight from the children's wages, the office of lawmaker Lai Shyh-bao said yesterday.
Those who do not comply can be jailed for up to a year or face a maximum fine of NT$200,000 (S$8,550).
Taiwan faces an ageing population problem, with 10.6 per cent of the population aged 65 and above. Mr Lai's office estimated that 2,000 Taiwanese aged 65 or above are abandoned by their own children each year, a figure that has grown by 30 per cent per annum in recent years.
"This is an alarming trend that we cannot afford to ignore because it will lead to more and more social problems as Taiwan's society ages rapidly," Mr Lai's office said.
Singapore's Maintenance of Parents Act gives parents above the age of 60 the right to sue their children for maintenance. Defaulters face a fine of up to S$5,000 or up to six months in prison. Agencies
The proposed Taiwanese law, which passed an initial review in the Legislative Yuan Parliament late on Thursday, will compel offenders to pay for their parents' living expenses in either a lump-sum payment, a trust fund or a monthly allowance deducted straight from the children's wages, the office of lawmaker Lai Shyh-bao said yesterday.
Those who do not comply can be jailed for up to a year or face a maximum fine of NT$200,000 (S$8,550).
Taiwan faces an ageing population problem, with 10.6 per cent of the population aged 65 and above. Mr Lai's office estimated that 2,000 Taiwanese aged 65 or above are abandoned by their own children each year, a figure that has grown by 30 per cent per annum in recent years.
"This is an alarming trend that we cannot afford to ignore because it will lead to more and more social problems as Taiwan's society ages rapidly," Mr Lai's office said.
Singapore's Maintenance of Parents Act gives parents above the age of 60 the right to sue their children for maintenance. Defaulters face a fine of up to S$5,000 or up to six months in prison. Agencies
SOURCE: TodayOnline
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