Chinese writer and democracy activist Yu Jie (余杰) yesterday accused the National Immigration Agency of deliberately setting hurdles for his application to visit Taiwan next month to launch a new book about the Sunflower movement, Hong Kong’s Umbrella revolution and democracy movements in China.
Yu, based in the US, disclosed his case in a post on Facebook.
He was invited by the Taipei Rhenish Church to attend a series of seminars launching the book, whose title can be translated as: From Docile Citizens to Citizens: Strolling along with Taiwan’s Democracy (從順民到公民:與台灣民主同行).
A member of the church who preferred not to be named said yesterday in a telephone interview that they had gone back and forth since Jan. 13 working to meet various agency requirements that are not in the rules for entry permit applications.
For example, after Yu had a Hong Kong publisher certify that he is a writer — since the agency required that he presented such a certification from China — the church was told that Yu’s US green card and that of his wife, Liu Min (劉敏), would be needed for the application, the church member said.
The agency also demanded that the church provide a detailed daily itinerary of Yu’s stay, even though application regulations require only a summary of his scheduled activities in each week or month, the source added.
The agency further required that Yu’s stay be shortened to one month from his proposed three, the church member said.
Saying that the documents presented for Yu’s entry permit were identical to those used last year for the same purpose by National Tsing Hua University, the source added that the agency was apparently picky with the church.
Last year, the agency accepted op-ed articles that Yu contributed to local media outlets as proof of his career as a professional writer, the source said.
“I can say that the agency just wanted to set hurdles by demanding certification from China. Can it be that they did not know I was forced to be a writer-in-exile by the Chinese Communist Party?” Yu wrote on Facebook.
In response, the agency said in a statement that the applications were not yet approved because the host did not submit required documents.
They included a letter of invitation, the church’s latest annual financial report, the daily itinerary, relevant proof or professional qualifications showing that Yu is specialized in the field of religion to meet the purpose of his visit in connection with religious activities, the agency said.
Yu and Liu have visited Taiwan for various purposes six times since 2006, it said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and