Four Switzerland-born Catholic missionaries were issued Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship cards Aug. 3 at a ceremony in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County in recognition of their services to the nation over some five decades.
Revs. Ernst Gassner, Gottfried Vonwyl and Josef Eugster and Brother Augustin Buchel received the cards from Taitung County Magistrate Justin Huang, who praised their lifelong commitment to providing aid and employment skills to disadvantaged people.
Arriving in the country between 1963 and 1970, the members of the Bethlehem Mission Society in Taiwan helped establish Kung-Tung Technical Senior High School, St. Mary’s Hospital and a career training center in Taitung. According to Huang, these facilities have played a vital role in fostering the development of the rural county.
Speaking at the ceremony on behalf of all four recipients, Vonwyl expressed in fluent Holo, the language of Taiwan’s largest ethnic group, their joy and gratitude at becoming ROC citizens. They all plan to continue dedicating their lives to helping disadvantaged residents of Taitung, he said.
Founded in 1957, Kung-Tung Technical High School initially focused on training carpenters and mechanics and now offers practical instruction in a broad range of fields including catering and interior design. The career training facility, Training Center East, was set up in 1965 to complement the work of the high school by providing job skills to disadvantaged and physically disabled young people who are unable to attend Kung-Tung.
St. Mary’s Hospital was established in 1961 to provide medical services to the impoverished. It has earned several awards in the decades since for its work in fields such as long-term senior care and diabetes prevention.
Among the missionaries' other achievements, Vonwyl founded a kindergarten in Taitung City in 1973, while Gassner set up the first kindergarten in the county’s Luye Township in 1976. Eugster launched a reflexology association in Taitung aimed at teaching the practice to disadvantaged people so as to boost their employment prospects.
From 2003 to 2007, Buchel and Gassner compiled historical records of Luye, collaborating with the township office to release a book on the region’s history upon the conclusion of their research.
According to the county government’s Civil Affairs Department, the four Swiss are the first foreigners in Taitung to receive ROC citizenship cards under the latest amendments to the Nationality Act.
On Dec. 21 last year, Articles 3, 4, 9, 11 and 19 of the act were amended and promulgated, enabling foreigners applying for naturalization to keep their original nationality if meeting a number of conditions. These stipulations include being high-level professionals in areas such as art, culture, economics, education, sports and technology; possessing specialties that contribute to the interests of the ROC; and obtaining a recommendation from the relevant central authority.
The revisions are part of government efforts to encourage more foreign talents to live and work in Taiwan on an extended basis as well as guarantee their rights. (CPY-E)
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