A dentist who participated in the Sunflower movement and visited Hong Kong in support of the “Umbrella movement” was refused entry into Macau by customs officials who said he was a “threat to internal security and stability.”
Shih Shu-hua (史書華), a member of a medical volunteer group during the Sunflower movement in March and April last year, said on Facebook that he had a “special experience” on Friday.
He was also denied a Hong Kong visa when trying to register for a planned entry on Thursday, which he attributed to an October visit. On that trip, during protests demanding democratic Hong Kong leadership elections, he made an onstage speech of support.
Photo: Screengrab from FattyMagic’s Facebook page
“I kind of expected the Macau rejection after I could not register for a Hong Kong visa,” he said.
Shih and his wife flew to Macau on Friday, but officials took him to a room where he was asked to wait and fill out forms, he said.
“The police kept saying that they knew nothing when [I] posed a series of questions, stressing that it was another unit that wanted to keep me there,” Shih said.
He called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Macau and asked about being blacklisted by Chinese authorities.
“They confirmed the existence of a blacklist and said I might run into trouble if my name is identical to one of those listed,” Shih said.
Shih said he was told by Macau police that he would not be able to enter the enclave and was asked to sign a notice of refused entry.
The reason given was “to bar the entry of non-locals who pose a threat to ... security and stability.”
Mainland Affairs Council spokesperson Wu Mei-hung (吳美紅) told the Taipei Times that she has confirmed with the TECO in Macau that Shih did call the office for assistance on Friday.
“Our office contacted the Macau authorities and inquired into the matter. They said they were not able to provide the exact reason why Shih was rejected,” Wu said. “We would have TECO in Macau express our concerns to the government and call for its respect of our people’s rights of entry ... for tourism and business.”
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event. The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights as a WTO member, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first time since 2001 that Taiwan has declined to attend a WTO Ministerial Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday next week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Taiwan had planned to send a delegation led by Minister Without Portfolio
RSS