Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force.
The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning.
The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm, saying that she wished to “clear her name” before leaving Taiwan.
Social media personality Pa Chiung (八炯) arrived at the airport before Liu, accompanied by well-known anti-Chinese Communist Party influencers, including Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), to launch a livestream on YouTube, which amassed more than 200,000 views.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) earlier yesterday said that the government stood firm in its decision to deport the social media influencer for comments to advocate Taiwan being unified with China by military force.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Any illegal actions that contravene national security would be strictly handled, with no room for compromise, Cho told reporters before a meeting at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The case is being handled by the Ministry of the Interior in accordance with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), he said.
The ministry was instructed to adopt a gentle, yet resolute approach, to prove to the public that protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty is of the utmost concern, he added.
There are limits on freedom of speech, as it cannot compromise Taiwan’s integrity and continued survival, Cho said.
Residents cannot make remarks that denounce Taiwan and still expect to be afforded protection, he said.
Other democratic nations have set similar precedents, placing limits on free speech in the interest of national security and the public interest, as has been ruled by the US Supreme Court, he added.
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) also voiced support for the decision to revoke Liu’s residence permit, saying that any statement advocating military unification, war or the destruction of the Republic of China (ROC) is not protected as free speech.
“Without the ROC, where would our freedom of speech come from?” he told reporters at the legislature.
Liu on Monday in an interview with TVBS said that she had “no intention” to leave and had not booked a flight ticket.
She last week filed for a suspension of deportation order from the Taipei High Administrative Court, which was rejected, and has since filed an appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court.
Her husband, Huang Chun-hung (黃君宏), also submitted a suspension request to the Taipei High Administrative Court, which was rejected yesterday evening citing the need for the public interest to take precedence.
Liu held a news conference yesterday outside the Ministry of Interior with the Taiwan International Family Association, saying that the National Immigration Agency was contravening international conventions, persecuting Chinese spouses and infringing on human rights.
She attempted to hand a petition to the ministry, although the ministry did not send a representative to accept it.
A crowd of 50 protesters led by Pa Chiung gathered to oppose Liu, shouting: “Go back to China” and “We don’t oppose Chinese spouses, only military unification.”
The social media influencer had her dependent-based residency permit revoked earlier this month after comments she made online about China unifying with Taiwan using military force.
Her account has more than 500,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Douyin.
The National Immigration Agency called her in for questioning on March 4 regarding the “unification” comments, and on March 12 revoked her residency permit.
The agency planned to schedule her deportation within 10 days following a grace period granted to put her affairs in order.
Liu would not be allowed to reapply for a dependent-based residence permit for five years, it said.
Liu on Monday said that she believes she has done nothing wrong, and the false accusation is an attack on her character.
Her departure would only prove that she had accepted this “unjust coercion,” she said.
Liu added that she personally believes in the peaceful unification of China and Taiwan, and did not intend to promote the use of military force.
Her video instead explained the possible risks of annexing Taiwan by force, she said.
Liu said that she is also concerned about the well-being of her three children.
“If I leave [Taiwan], my children would not only lose their mother, but face unnecessary harm,” she said.
Additional reporting by Chen Cheng-yu, Chang Wen-chuan and Wang Kuan-jen
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