Taiwan would handle the issue of Hong Kong residents arriving in the nation to seek political asylum “appropriately based on humanitarian considerations,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said.
Tsai, who is on a state visit to Taiwan’s Caribbean allies, made the remark when asked about a report by Radio Free Asia on Thursday that about 10 Hong Kong protesters have arrived in Taiwan to seek political asylum since the storming of the Hong Kong Legislative Council building on July 1 following a series of demonstrations against a bill that would allow people to be extradited to China.
The individuals have been given shelter by non-governmental organizations, the report said.
Photo: CNA
A Taiwanese lawyer who helps Hong Kong residents come to Taiwan told the broadcaster that they have encountered technical difficulties when seeking to extend their stay in the nation.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, citing unidentified sources, yesterday reported that about 30 protesters have already arrived in Taiwan to seek asylum, while as many as 30 others — and possibly more — are planning to try soon.
The Mainland Affairs Council would not confirm whether there are people from Hong Kong seeking political asylum, saying only that it has seen an increase in the number of Hong Kongers inquiring about residency in Taiwan.
The council on Thursday said that if Taiwan receives applications from Hong Kong residents for political asylum, government agencies would handle each case in accordance with the law based on the principle of protecting human rights.
The government deals with visits or residency of Hong Kong citizens in accordance with the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例), the council said, adding that it would provide assistance to Hong Kong citizens whose safety and freedom are threatened due to political factors.
The National Immigration Agency yesterday said it has not received any applications for political asylum from Hong Kongers.
The Taiwan Association for Human Rights would not comment on the issue.
“We cannot divulge any information regarding any individual case,” association secretary-general Chiu Ee-ling (邱伊翎) said. “If there are individuals who approach us for help, we’ll interview these people and help them get in touch with government officials if that is what they wish.”
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
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