Two Chinese asylum seekers who have been stuck at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for four months were allowed to enter Taiwan late on Wednesday.
Yan Kefen (顏克芬), 44, and Liu Xinglian (劉興聯), 64, entered Taiwan on the basis of “professional exchanges,” after they earlier that day exited the country by flying to an undisclosed location.
They were then picked up at the airport by friends and taken separately to prearranged accommodation. They now hope that the US or Canada will grant them asylum.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
Yan and Liu on Sept. 27 last year arrived at the airport on a flight from Thailand and were scheduled to continue to Beijing, but did not get on the outbound flight.
They submitted a request for asylum on the grounds of political persecution in China, but could not provide any supporting evidence, the Mainland Affairs Council said.
The two were confined to a fourth-floor room at the airport.
Yan told the Central News Agency that life in the airport was “alright,” although he complained of stress and chest pain, as there was not enough room to move around.
“I haven’t slept in a real bed for a long time,” he said.
On Thursday last week, the council said that they could enter Taiwan on the basis of “professional exchanges” until they are granted asylum in a third nation, but would first have to exit and re-enter.
New School for Democracy board member Tseng Chien-yuan (曾建元) on Friday last week said that he was willing to act as guarantor for the two asylum seekers and that his decision was based solely on human rights considerations.
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