Chinese writer and blogger Lu Haitao (盧海濤) asked the US for political asylum while in Taiwan and was granted his request, local media reported yesterday.
However, a US official refused to confirm whether he has been given asylum.
“I can confirm that he and his wife are in the United States. As you know, we don’t confirm or deny asylum issues,” US Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Thursday.
Voice of America cited Chinese dissident Hu Jia (胡佳), a friend of Lu, as saying Lu and his wife visited Taiwan on Nov. 17 last year, and were scheduled to return to China on Dec. 1 last year.
However, “because something came up and they were under pressure,” they changed their plans hours before returning to China and sought refuge in the US, Hu said.
They eventually obtained US assistance to go to the US from Taiwan and they now reside in Washington, Hu said.
Hu said Lu and his wife arrived in the US from Taiwan on Dec. 3. Because the matter involves diplomatic confidentiality between the US and Taiwan, and Lu made a commitment to the US, he will not accept interviews for the time being, Hu said.
He said that during Lu’s bid for political asylum, the US Department of State offered a great deal of help, including assistance from the US embassy in Beijing and “American agencies in Taiwan.”
Hu also said that during Lu’s stay in Taiwan, Lu met with former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德), who has since severed ties with the party, and others, but due to certain pressures, he decided suddenly to ask for political asylum.
Asked if Taiwan did not extend a helping hand, Hu only said “it went beyond not helping.”
The 37-year-old had been under strict surveillance in China for visiting other dissidents, including Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng (陳光誠), Liu Xia (劉霞), the wife of Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), and Hu, and for taking part in dissident activities.
Hu said Lu was very grateful to the US State Department for efficiently helping Chinese citizens in dire straits to take refuge in a free country.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS