TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan should pass a refugee act and set up a political asylum system according to international norms, human rights groups said Friday.

The Taiwan Association for Human Rights and the Taiwan chapter of Amnesty International were among the groups calling on the government to guarantee the protection of refugees, per CNA. Taiwan should also set up a temporary registration system helping refugees and people applying for asylum, the activists said.

In the meantime, the government and the Legislative Yuan should address the shortcomings of existing legislation. At present, refugees arriving in Taiwan have no identity and are not allowed to work, while neighboring countries Japan and South Korea have passed relevant laws.

Taiwan presented itself as a country valuing human rights, but a law protecting refugees had still not materialized despite decades of discussion, according to the activists.