The fate of Chinese dissident Hsu Bo (
"With regard to Hsu's case, Wei Jingsheng (魏京生) [chairman of the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition (中國民主運動海外聯席會議)] has sought assistance from human-rights experts in Taiwan. So we began to show concern about the case. After all, it's human-rights related," lawyer Tsai Ming-hwa (蔡明華) said yesterday.
Hsu sought political asylum in Taiwan during a transit stop at the CKS International Airport on Jan. 27. He is in detention in Taoyuan while he awaits a decision on his request.
The democracy coalition, which Wei says has a couple of thousand members outside China, has identified Hsu as the head of its Seoul branch.
Xiang Lin (
"I'll meet him on Monday, and the National Security Council (NSC) requested Tsai accompany me during the meeting," Xiang said in a phone interview.
Despite claims by a Mainland Affairs Council official on Friday that the government had assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle the case, sources said the NSC was in charge.
The case has become complicated now that the US and South Korea have declined to grant Hsu political asylum, an insider said.
"He threatened to kill himself if he gets deported," the insider added.
Tsai declined to say whether she would meet Hsu along with Xiang tomorrow.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Katharine Chang (
"Government agencies will seek a solution to the case out of respect for human rights. We've contacted and will continue talking to the UN High Commission for Refugee Affairs about the case," Chang said.
Xiang pressured Taiwan to live up to its promises on human rights.
"If Taiwan is really serious about human rights and vows to help China democratize, it should respect Hsu's will to stay in Taiwan," Xiang said.
"This matter, if mishandled, will affect relations between Taiwan's government and activists in the Chinese democracy movement," Xiang said.
Xiang said Hsu began to lead the inaugurated Seoul office of the coalition since March last year after having fled China four years earlier due to his publication of a book entitled Red Fascist (紅色法西斯), which contained vehement criticism over Beijing authorities.
Afraid to be deported back to China amid pressure on Seoul from Beijing due to his involvement in the organization, Hsu chose to seek asylum in Taiwan, Xiang said.
The case became more complicated by the fact that Taiwan has yet to enact an asylum law.
The US agreed to grant Chinese dissident Tang Yuanjun (唐元雋) political asylum in December after Tang reached Tatan islet off Kinmen. Tang reached the islet by swimming from a nearby Chinese fishing boat that he paid to help him defect last October.
RSS