Taipei, April 22 -- Taiwan's government on Tuesday said a plan to bring Indian migrant workers to the democratic island to help fill a labour shortage will only proceed if there is industry demand and India meets its requirements. Taiwan is seeking to diversify its source of migrant workers beyond Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, as it grapples with a falling birthrate and growing ageing population. Taipei and New Delhi signed a memorandum of understanding in February 2024 for the recruitment of Indian workers in Taiwan. Taiwanese Labour Minister Hung Sun-han said earlier this month that 1,000 Indian workers could arrive in Taiwan this year as part of a pilot programme. But political and public outcry over the plan appears to have put the government on the back foot. On Tuesday, Hung assured lawmakers that the programme would only proceed if there was demand from Taiwanese industry and if India met Taiwan's requirements. "If the two conditions are not met, then there's no question of introducing" the workers, Hung said during questioning in parliament. "Safety is absolutely what we value the most and it's our top priority." There are more than 870,000 foreign workers in Taiwan, with over 60% employed in manufacturing, construction, agriculture and caregiving sectors, official data shows. Opponents of the plan, including members of the main opposition party Kuomintang, have cited concerns about the safety of women and children. Another concern is the "black hole of migrant workers who have lost contact" with authorities in Taiwan, KMT lawmaker Wang Hung-wei said Tuesday. More than 93,000 foreign workers were reported "missing" but still in Taiwan by the end of February, official data shows. A petition calling for the "indefinite suspension" of the plan has received more than 42,000 signatures. India's representative office in Taipei declined to comment....