Following the dispute of the deportation of 14 Taiwanese suspects to China by the Philippines, the Taiwanese government has announced its plan to freeze Filipino laborers' applications to work in Taiwan. A group of workers on the island are making their voices heard, by protesting in front of the Presidential Office, in hope for the government to withdraw the sanction.

A group of Filipino laborers gathered in front of the Presidential Office, holding their yellow banners and black posters lettering "sorry."

With paints on their faces, they danced the traditional Filipino dance, trying to persuade the Taiwanese government to revoke the sanction over Filipino laborers.

Representatives of the protesters said that there have been over 7,000 Filipino laborers whose applications were delayed.

The workers said that the laborers and their families shouldn't be punished for the diplomatic disputes between Taiwan and Philippines.

Following the disputes caused by the deportation of 14 Taiwanese suspects to China by the Philippines, the Taiwanese government has decided to freeze Filipino laborers' applications to work in Taiwan for four months.

However, labor groups think that the punitive action is undermining the Filipino workers' human rights and using them as a diplomatic means to force the Philippine government to apologize.

The researcher of the Taiwan International Workers' Association, Wu Yung-yi said that innocent foreign labors have become the victims of either Taiwan or Pilippines' improper labor policies and they shouldn't be punished for the diplomatic disputes between the two countries.

Wu said that they hope that President Ma Ying-jeou could withdraw the sanction.

The Council of Labor Affairs official, Tsai Mung-liang, said that as both countries are still in the middle of the negotiation, the council has to act accordingly to the government's current decision.

However, the council guarantees that the interest and rights of the foreign and migrant workers who are already working in Taiwan remain unchanged.

The protesters said that they will launch a bigger protest to fight for foreign and migrant workers' rights, if the government does not give them a positive response.

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