The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Chinese who have been harassing a Taiwanese restaurant in Chile that reportedly had shown support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The ministry condemned and denounced the irrational and violent behavior of a Chinese mob that stormed the shop last week, spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
The Representative Office of Taiwan in Santiago contacted the Taiwanese owner of Pollo Chang, surnamed Chang (張), on Friday after learning of the incident to express the government’s determination to protect the safety of its nationals overseas, she said.
The office would work with Chang should he decide to report the incident to the Chilean police and offer legal assistance should he need any, she said.
According to an online post on Friday that has circulated on the Web since, a Chinese mob in Santiago shut down the fast-food and bubble tea shop after they found Chang supported the Hong Kong protests.
The post did not say why the group of Chinese believed that Chang supported the Hong Kong protesters.
A group of Chinese citizens stormed into Pollo Chang to hang a People’s Republic of China flag and sing the Chinese national anthem, which forced the shop to shut, according to a video clip posted on YouTube.
It was reportedly the latest in a series of incidents.
However, Ou yesterday said that Pollo Chang has resumed operations.
She also said the ministry fully supports Chang’s freedom of expression in supporting the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.
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