A 33 year-old Chinese-born Canadian woman surnamed Cheng (程) was repatriated to Canada on Monday after attempting to use another person’s identity to board a plane, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday.
This was the woman’s second attempt this month to board an aircraft using another person’s boarding pass, said the NIA, adding that Cheng was now prohibited from entering Taiwan for three years.
The NIA said Cheng’s first attempt was on June 1 when she used United Airline’s self-check-in system at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to obtain the boarding pass of another woman surnamed Cheng (鄭), whose last name used the same English spelling as her name.
PHOTO: CNA
NO-SHOW
She was able to pass through immigration, but for unknown reasons, chose not to board the flight and even stayed at the transit hotel for one day.
The airlines notified authorities after the passenger was a no-show.
The woman was deported to Hong Kong on the night of June 2.
The NIA said that the woman re-entered Taiwan from Hong Kong last Wednesday and successfully obtained another person’s boarding pass, again using the self-check-in system.
QUESTIONING
The immigration agents immediately brought her in for questioning when it was discovered the name on her passport did not match the name on her boarding pass as she attempted to pass customs.
The NIA said the woman has already entered Taiwan seven times for various lengths of time. The NIA said her longest stay in Taiwan was 30 days.
The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei said it had no comment on the case.
A series of discussions on the legacy of martial law and authoritarianism are to be held at the Taipei International Book Exhibition this month, featuring findings and analysis by the Transitional Justice Commission. The commission and publisher Book Republic organized the series, entitled “Escaping the Nation’s Labyrinth of Memory: What Authoritarian Symbols and Records Can Tell Us,” to help people navigate narratives through textual analysis and comparisons with other nations. The four-day series is to begin on Thursday next week with a discussion between commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠), Polish-language translator Lin Wei-yun (林蔚昀), and Polish author and artist Pawel Gorecki comparing
‘EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE’: If the Biden administration suspends arms sales to Taiwan, the military could still ready a nimble fighting force for defense, an analyst said The “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific” last week sparked debate among analysts after US President Donald Trump declassified the document 20 years ahead of schedule. Trump on Tuesday last week released the document that had governed US strategic action in the region since the US leader approved its use in 2018. The document, which outlines US priorities in the region, emphasizes the importance of defending Taiwan against military aggression and facilitating the country’s development of asymmetric strategies and capabilities. The overall directive of the document is for the US to prevent China from establishing sustained air and sea dominance inside the first
MOVING OUT: A former professor said that rent and early education costs in Taipei are the nation’s highest, which makes it difficult for young people to start families The population of Taipei last year fell to the lowest in 23 years due to high rent, more transportation options and the expansion of northern cities into a single metropolis, academics and city officials said on Monday. Data released this month by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the capital was home to 2,602,418 people last year, down 42,623 from 2019. The decline is second only to 1993, when the population fell by 42,828 people, while Taipei’s population was the lowest it has been since 1997. Taipei saw the biggest drop among the six special municipalities, while Taoyuan led the group in
A legislator yesterday called for authorities to investigate the sale of Chinese-made, Internet-connected karaoke machines containing “propaganda songs.” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said she was approached by a person who had discovered Chinese patriotic songs such as My Motherland (我的祖國) — which is commonly referred to as China’s “second national anthem” — in Chinese-made karaoke devices sold in Taiwan. The machines are popular, as they can connect to the Internet, providing access to thousands of songs, she said. One retailer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the machines first entered the local market about three years ago, starting with
RSS