Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) yesterday urged Taiwanese to think carefully before deciding to travel to China and to be vigilant about their personal safety when in China.
Chiu made the comment after the council confirmed a day earlier that a member of a Taiwanese tour group traveling in China had been detained for several days.
MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said that it was the first time a member of a tour group had been detained by Chinese authorities.
Photo: Reuters
The person was released several days after the five-day tour group had returned to Taiwan, Liang said.
The person is now back in Taiwan, the council said, adding that it is investigating the details of what happened.
Tour guides or tour leaders should immediately notify the Tourism Administration within 24 hours should tour members be detained, Liang said, citing regulations governing travel agencies.
The council has posted on platforms including Facebook to warn people to be vigilant about their personal safety. It also asks those traveling to China to register on its online platform.
The Tourism Administration said that it had been notified of the incident.
The person could have been detained because they worked in a “sensitive” profession before retirement, a source familiar with the matter said.
The council said that due to China’s state security and counterespionage laws, the number of Taiwanese being detained and investigated upon entry has increased.
The council reminded Taiwanese that such incidents are not limited to independent travelers, but could also happen to members of tour groups.
In a separate case, a user on the social media platform Threads on Wednesday said that he had traveled to Nanjing for an arts and books exhibition, but was taken away for questioning by Chinese police, and was forced to remove all his clothing for inspection.
He was released a few days later, the person wrote.
Asked about the incidents, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) warned Taiwanese to be wary of their safety when traveling to China, as its legal system is unclear and legal procedures are deficient.
A ban on tour travel to China starting on Saturday last week would be reviewed on a rolling basis, with changes being made depending on vital factors including safety and the quality of the travel experience, he said.
The government originally decided to only allow tour groups scheduled to leave for China before May 31 to go ahead, but Cho on Thursday last week said group tours organized before Saturday last week could proceed as planned.
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