Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), wife of detained human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), was yesterday prevented from boarding a plane to Beijing to search for her husband after her “Taiwan compatriot travel document” was canceled by the Chinese government.
Lee approached a Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport check-in counter with a crowd of supporters only to be stopped from boarding her plane. Taiwanese are required to present the permit, which is issued by Chinese authorities, when traveling to China.
“I am surprised, shocked and saddened,” Lee Ching-yu said. “I am just a weak female trying to travel to visit my husband; why is there any need for China to show such force?”
Photo: EPA
She added that the Chinese government’s action showed that there was a “political scheme” behind her husband’s arrest, who disappeared after entering Guangzhou from Macau last month.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Sunday said it had forwarded Lee Ching-yu a letter from her husband based on “humanitarian considerations.”
Lee Ching-yu yesterday said she had only received a photocopy of a letter in her husband’s handwriting, adding that the actions of a Taiwanese man named Lee Chun-min (李俊敏), who is acting as a go-between for the Chinese government, belied any “humanitarian” purpose.
“Lee Chun-min threatened, cajoled and sought to intimidate me,” she said, adding that she was told that refusing to give up her trip to Beijing would result in her husband’s confession being broadcast on Chinese state media, but her cooperation would secure his quick release.
She showed a hand-written promissory note purportedly signed by Lee Chun-min promising to work to prevent the confession video from being broadcast and to work to reunite her with her husband as soon as possible.
Lee Ching-yu said she rejected the offer, because it reflected an unacceptable cross-strait “brokerage culture” of privately resolving cases rather than following government channels.
“I cannot sacrifice the honor of the Republic of China for the sake of my husband,” she said.
“This case has already become a public incident which has to be resolved via public channels,” said Cheng Hsiu-chuan (鄭秀娟), president of the Wenshan Community College where Lee Ming-che taught. “Chinese security agencies informed our government that Lee Ching-yu’s travel permit had been canceled. Why can the Taiwan Affairs Office not interact with us directly on the case?”
While family members and lawyers have the right to visit detainees under the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (海峽兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議), China suspended its implementation of the agreement when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office last year, refusing to provide information on Lee Ming-che’s case despite repeated requests by the Straits Exchange Foundation.
Separately yesterday, Lee Chun-min issued a statement, acknowledging that he had contacted Lee Ching-yu on behalf of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and accusing her of “stigmatizing” his efforts.
“I clearly told Lee Ching-yu that establishing a good negotiating environment was necessary to help her husband and therefore it would be necessary to stop antagonistic activities before we could begin helping him,” he said, adding that he made the statement after Lee Ching-yu asked for his advice.
He has no choice but to withdraw from the case now that his identity has been exposed, he said.
A former intelligence officer, Lee Chun-min was previously imprisoned in China for decades after being caught on a mission and later served as an aide to KMT Central Policy Committee director Alex Tsai (蔡正元).
Alex Tsai yesterday denied that he had any connection with the Chinese government’s efforts to contact Lee Ming-che’s family members, but acknowledged that he knew that a “friend” had passed on a letter.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a