A coalition of civic groups and students yesterday rallied separately outside Hong Kong’s representative office in Taipei to protest a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong.
More than 30 advocates from more than 20 groups shouted: “Shame on you, Hong Kong government” and “Say no to the extradition bill” outside the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office.
Among the protesting groups were the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, the Taiwan Citizen Front, Amnesty International and Taiwan March.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The protesters demanded that the Hong Kong government withdraw its proposed amendments to the extradition law, which would allow visitors in or passing through Hong Kong who are deemed “suspects” by the Chinese government to be sent to China for trial.
They also reiterated calls for the Taiwanese government to plan countermeasures to the bill.
If the legislation passes, the government should consider canceling the special legal status granted to Hong Kong officials and investors with Chinese ties to ensure Taiwan’s national security and lodge a complaint with Beijing, Taiwan Citizen Front founder Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said.
Photo: Screengrab from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Twitter account
“We hope the countermeasures would only deal with Hong Kong officials and investors, and not affect the rights and interests of Hong Kongers traveling to and studying in Taiwan,” he said, urging all political parties and presidential candidates to state their stance on the bill.
Following the protest, about 200 Hong Kong students gathered outside the representative office for another rally.
One of the event organizers, Ho Wing-tung (何泳彤), a Hong Kong student at Chinese Culture University, said that the students walked out of class to show support for their compatriots on strike in Hong Kong.
“We understand that the protest might be useless, but we want the government to know that we will not do nothing,” she said.
While Hong Kong has never had democracy, Hong Kongers will fight to keep its rule of law, she added.
Later yesterday, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) issued a statement saying that it has been paying close attention to protests against the extradition bill, and hopes the Hong Kong government and people would discuss the bill rationally and improve its legal basis.
Authorities should respond to the public’s calls with compassion so that the event could be concluded peacefully, it added.
Asked to comment on a rally in Kaohsiung to protest the extradition bill, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) did not respond.
Reporters raised the question five times as the KMT presidential hopeful inspected a construction site for a daycare center, but Han avoided eye contact and quickly walked away in silence.
Separately, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman and KMT presidential hopeful Terry Gou (郭台銘) told reporters at a National Police Day event in New Taipei City that the protests in Hong Kong showed the “one country, two systems” arrangement has failed, especially in the eyes of young people.
Authorities have made many great mistakes in implementing “one country, two systems” in the past few years, he added.
Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), another KMT presidential hopeful, said that he hopes the Hong Kong Legislative Council would respect public opinion and ensure human rights and rule of law are upheld.
“The ‘one country, two systems’ arrangement has never been an option for Taiwan and Taiwanese will not accept it,” he told reporters when asked to comment at a financial technology summit in Taipei.
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday voiced his support for the protest in Hong Kong on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official Twitter account.
“I stand shoulder to shoulder with the hundreds of thousands in #HongKong fighting the extradition bill & for rule of law. Please know you are not alone. #Taiwan is with you! The will of the people will prevail!” Wu wrote.
Additional reportiing by Lin Chia-nan
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard