Two Chinese asylum seekers who have been stuck in limbo at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport since September last year are to be allowed to enter the nation after the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday gave the green light, citing “professional exchanges” as a justification.
However, the two Chinese nationals, Yan Kefen (顏克芬) and Liu Xinglian (劉興聯), would first have to exit and then re-enter the nation on another airplane, a source said, adding that they could enter Taiwan last night at the earliest.
The two had not re-entered the nation as of press time last night.
Photo: CNA
New School for Democracy board member Tseng Chien-yuan (曾建元) on Friday confirmed the news, saying that he was willing to act as guarantor for the two, based solely on human rights considerations.
The move would allow them to enter Taiwan and await resettlement in a third country, he said.
On Sept. 27, Yan and Liu arrived at the airport on a flight from Thailand and were scheduled to continue on to China, but they did not board the China-bound flight later that day.
Instead, they filed for asylum status with Taiwanese authorities, using refugee certificates issued by the UN.
However, the government does not yet have a mechanism in place to adequately handle refugee claims, said the MAC, the main government agency responsible for cross-strait affairs.
As a result, the two men have had to remain in a restricted area at the Taoyuan airport, as they do not have the documents to enter Taiwan.
Tseng said he was hopeful that the government would listen to their story after they re-enter the nation.
The Independent Chinese PEN Center would be taking care of their accommodation during their time in the nation, sources said on Friday.
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