Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (
It was regrettable and unacceptable for Hong Kong to treat Taiwanese with valid entry permits in such a way, he said.
Over the past week, hundreds of Taiwanese Falun Gong followers had planned to go to Hong Kong to participate in a demonstration held by the territory's democracy activists and launch protests against China's suppression of Falun Gong followers on the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the end of British rule in Hong Kong.
As of yesterday, about 300 Falun Gong followers who held legal travel documents had been expelled by Hong Kong airport police after their arrival in the territory.
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has set the worst example of China's "one country, two systems," said Shieh, referring to China's promise that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy after its takeover.
China is a country under a one-party-state dictatorship and it knows nothing about freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and free speech, Shieh said.
"Although it is named People's Republic of China, it is actually distant from the people," he said.
He also said that the incident should serve as a warning to those people who believe that each side of the Taiwan Strait can have its own interpretation of the "one China" principle and to people who support Taiwan's eventual unification with China.
"It should also make us cherish our freedom and democracy and defend our hard-earned values," Shieh said.
In other developments, Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Tung Chen-yuan (
"These people were brutally detained, questioned and expelled by Hong Kong authorities," Tung said.
"Taiwan has to issue the severest condemnation against such human rights violations by the Hong Kong authorities," he said.
The former British colony has suffered noticeable setbacks on economic and social fronts as well, he said.
The wealth gap in Hong Kong has grown since 1997, while social mobility has declined, Tung said.
At the same time, Hong Kong's judicial independence, human rights conditions and media freedom have also been impacted, he said.
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The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
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PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
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