A Chinese traveler has been denied entry into Taiwan after he failed to pay a NT$200,000 (US$6,488) fine for illegally importing pork products, the first case since the new policy took effect on Friday, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said.
People caught illegally importing pork products from areas affected over the past three years by outbreaks of African swine fever face a fine of NT$200,000 for the first offense and NT$1 million for repeat offenses after the council raised the fines on Dec. 18 last year.
From Friday, foreign visitors would be rejected entry into the nation if they fail to pay the fines, the council said, citing Article 18 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), which empowers the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to deny entry to those who pose a risk to the nation’s public security or interests.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The first foreign visitor denied entry under the policy was a Chinese man who flew from Hong Kong and arrived at Kaohsiung International Airport at about 6pm on Friday, it said.
The man was caught carrying 120g of sausages made of pork and chicken, and received a fine of NT$200,000 for failing to declare the items, the council said, adding that as he could not pay the fine immediately, he was sent back to Hong Kong at 9:15pm that day.
The man was forced to change his flight schedule on the spot, as travelers on visitor visas are required to prepare return tickets beforehand, the NIA said.
The man would be allowed to enter Taiwan only after paying the fine, COA Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine section chief Peng Ming-hsing (彭明興) said, adding that the traveler could remit payment to the council’s bank account written on the fine.
Before the policy took effect, foreign visitors were required to pay the fines within 30 days, Peng said.
If they failed to do so before leaving the nation, the bureau would pursue payment for up to 10 years through diplomatic channels, or through the Straits Exchange Foundation if the transgressors are Chinese, he said.
From Dec. 18 to Friday, the bureau had issued 75 fines of NT$200,000 each, but it had received payment for only 14 tickets, bureau Director-General Feng Hai-tung (馮海東) said, adding that most perpetrators are Chinese or Taiwanese.
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