Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chih-feng (蘇治芬) yesterday urged people to refrain from “excessive imagination and interpretation” after her passport was held at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Monday.
Su said that the reason Vietnamese authorities held her passport was unclear, adding that she still has faith in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “new southbound policy.”
Su flew to Vietnam on Sunday with her staff and several academics.
In a Facebook post, Su said the goal of her trip was to better understand the pollution incident involving Formosa Ha Tinh Steel — a subsidiary of Formosa Plastics that apparently discharged toxic waste into the sea, causing mass fish deaths — gauging the room for development for the “new southbound policy” and purchasing Vietnamese children’s books to promote mother-tongue education in Yunlin.
The group arrived in Ha Tihn yesterday, but the trip to the city was riddled with unexplained obstructions, Su said.
On Monday morning, Su wrote on Facebook that at Noi Bai Airport, the group received their boarding passes except herself, adding that her passport was held and she “almost had to forcibly snatch it” to take it back.
Su said the group was planning to fly from Hanoi to Vinh and take a small bus to Ha Tinh.
However, as she was not given a boarding pass, they had to change their plans, Su said.
“During the negotiations, we were asked to take a small bus [from Hanoi] to Ha Tihn, while the travel agency told us not to leave Hanoi,” she said, without saying with whom the negotiations took place.
Su posted another Facebook message on Monday afternoon, saying that Taiwan’s representative office in Vietnam was in the middle of mediating, supposedly with Vietnamese authorities.
After efforts by Representative to Vietnam Richard Shih (石瑞琦), Su and the rest of the group embarked on an approximately 10-hour trip from Hanoi to Ha Tinh on a medium-sized bus on Monday night.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) yesterday said that the representative office’s job was to help the two sides communicate clearly with both parties’ opinions laid out.
“We should respect local regulations and the stance the local government has maintained,” Wang added.
Wang did not comment on the rumor that Su was blocked due to an intended visit to an “anti-government organization” in Vietnam, saying that Su had told the ministry that the trip was private and she required no assistance from the ministry.
Vietnamese Representative to Taiwan Tran Duy Hai said that engaging in activities other than tourism while visiting the nation on a tourist visa is against the regulations, but added that after negotiations, the Vietnamese government agreed to help plan the remainder of Su’s trip.
When asked why Su was the only one denied a boarding pass, Tran said Su is a lawmaker and Vietnamese customs officials were aware of that.
The representative called on Taiwanese officials and legislators to apply to the representative office before visiting Vietnam.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Su said that her and the group’s safety had not been threatened.
After Taiwanese media questioned Tsai’s “new southbound policy,” describing Su’s ordeal in Vietnam as a hurdle for the policy, Su reiterated her support for and faith in the policy, saying Taiwanese businesspeople’s achievements in Vietnam are inspiring.
However, Su also said that the group was being followed by plainclothes police, who have been taking pictures of the group and reporting to the authorities the details of their itinerary.
“We could not undertake any activity that is outside the itinerary, which means our movement has indeed been restricted, but I believe both parties have shown restraint,” she added.
Additional Reporting by CNA
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