The wife of a human rights advocate detained in China plans to depart for Beijing on Monday to seek the release of her husband, who has been held in an unknown location by Chinese authorities for 17 days.
The Chinese government detained rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) on March 19 over his alleged involvement in activities that “endanger national security.”
Lee’s wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), said that she would fly to Beijing to seek her husband’s release herself, without the help of a lawyer.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Lee Ching-yu said she decided to visit Beijing after the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), which begins tomorrow, to avoid “unnecessary associations and confusion.”
“As much as I want to depart for Beijing immediately, the Trump-Xi meeting could have an effect on regional peace and I do not want my action to stand in the way of a global event,” she said. “I made the decision as a Republic of China citizen. I have to stand with my nation.”
She is to visit China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, the Chinese Supreme People’s Procuratorate and other agencies to understand where and on what charges Lee Ming-che is being held, as well as to deliver his blood pressure medication.
She plans to take the trip independently since the government has offered little assistance since she first announced it on Friday last week.
“I do not believe my nation would abandon its citizens no matter which party is in power. I understand the pressure put on the government because of Taiwan’s special conditions, but neither the Mainland Affairs Council [MAC] nor the Straits Exchange Foundation [SEF] has given me any meaningful information or concrete rescue plans. They could not even help me deliver [Lee’s] medicine,” she said.
The MAC and the SEF should at least have a plan to support her, she said, adding that she would formally visit the two agencies today to seek assistance.
Lee Ching-yu has received conflicting information about her husband’s whereabouts and the possible charges against him, including involvement in the East Turkestan independence movement, acts of terrorism and seeking prostitutes — with penalties ranging from a fine to 15 years in prison — but she could not verify the information without official word from Beijing.
The Chinese government has snubbed Taiwan’s requests for information, she said.
“I have suffered as the families of political victims suffered during the White Terror era. I have been told to succumb to Beijing and not to offend China or pay for the help of influential people,” she said.
She called on China to ensure her right as a family member of a detainee to visit her husband.
Taiwan Human Rights Association secretary-general Chiu E-ling (邱伊翎) called on the government to actively engage in the matter, ensure Lee Ching-yu’s personal safety and facilitate her meetings with Chinese officials.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS