Taiwanese should be allowed to put “Republic of Taiwan” stickers on their passports, pro-independence activists said yesterday at a protest outside the Bureau of Consular Affairs building.
“People are able to smoothly go through [passport control using passports with stickers] on all major continents – the only officials who make things difficult are the border officials of the Republic of China,” said Chou Wei-li (周維理), the convener of the Restoration of Taiwan Social Justice student group.
Republic of China is Taiwan’s official name and is engraved on the cover of all Taiwanese passports above the national emblem, which is derived from the emblem of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Stickers promoted by the activists cover the “Republic of China” with the “Republic of Taiwan” as separate stickers are used to cover up the national emblem with images of national wildlife.
“The Republic of China passport causes Taiwanese to experience humiliation internationally,” said Free Taiwan Party Chairperson Tsay Ting-kuei (蔡丁貴), stating that the passport often led bearers to be confused with citizens of the People’s Republic of China, causing customs delays in countries which allow visa-free entry Taiwanese citizens.
Party spokesperson Lin Yu-lun (林于倫) said they were rallying to protest the comments made by Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) at the Legislative Yuan earlier this week, that using stickers to cover the “Republic of China” on passports would be illegal.
“If all you are doing is putting the demands you wish to express on the passport, that is not illegal in and of itself,” Lin said, stating that rules only forbid altering the content of the passports, such as manipulating the content of the smart chips or altering passport numbers.
The minister had stated three years ago that putting stickers that read “Taiwan is my country” on passports was legal in response to a movement at the time, Lin said.
After shouting slogans opposing the minster’s statements at the Legislative Yuan, Tsay attempted to climb into the consular affairs complex, but was stopped by police.
Kung Chung-chen (龔中誠) the Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bureau of Consular Affairs stated that the stickers would be illegal under amendments to the Passport Statute (護照條例) passed by the Legislative Yuan in May which are to go into effect in January.
He said that according to the regulations the ministry would have the authority to cancel any passport that bears the stickers, as well as extending the review process for passport renewal for people carrying passports with the stickers.
He added that people who put stickers on their passports risked customs problems, displaying an e-mail from the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) director of consular affairs, which stated that if stickers were placed over the name “Republic of China,” US border officials would “reserve the right to seize the altered document and refuse the traveler’s entry.”
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS