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.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
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Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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