A coalition of civic groups yesterday unveiled their proposals to amend the Act Governing Relations With Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例) to flesh out rules for vetting Hong Kongers seeking asylum, as they marked the first anniversary of the start of a campaign against a now-retracted extradition bill in the territory.
The proposals were drafted by several groups in the wake of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) announcement of an action plan to offer humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers, Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) told a news conference in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, adding that they are aimed at complementing Article 18 of the act.
The article only states that the Mainland Affairs Council may provide Hong Kong residents whose safety and freedom have been threatened for political reasons with assistance if necessary, without specifying the types of assistance or what conditions asylum seekers must meet.
Photo: CNA
The proposals seek to provide applicants with the right to seek judicial remedy if their applications are rejected by the council, and create a review panel with at least one-third of its staff comprising academics and experts from the public, Lai said.
A draft provision states that in the event that a Hong Konger must be deported, the authorities should respect their choice of destination and must not repatriate them to Hong Kong against their will, he said.
The proposals seek to mandate the Ministry of the Interior to provide accommodation, healthcare and legal assistance to Hong Kongers while their application for asylum is under review, Taiwan Association for Human Rights advocate Lin Shu-han (林姝函) said.
The ministry may enlist civic groups to offer the aforementioned assistance, in which case an interdepartmental task force should be created to follow up on the progress, she added.
The “corrupt” Hong Kong police has violently cracked down on protesters, arrested more than 8,000 of them and indicted more than 1,500, a year after the first protest against the bill was staged, Hong Kong Outlanders chairman Kuma Yung said.
The situation in Hong Kong remains dire as the Chinese National People’s Congress seeks to push through a national security bill for Hong Kong, and pro-establishment members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council have arbitrarily passed a national anthem law, which stipulates a prison term of up to three years or a fine of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,452) for people who alter the lyrics or melody of China’s national anthem or render it in a disparaging tone, Yung said.
However, Hong Kong protesters refuse to sing praise of Chinese autocracy in the face of Beijing’s “expansionist imperialism,” which has triggered a “new cold war” between the East and the West, and affected nations globally, he said.
People used to describe Hong Kong, a former British colony, as a “borrowed place living on borrowed time,” but today, Hong Kongers’ desire for self-determination is just as strong as that of any aspiring race, and would only be further stoked by agony and distress, Yung said.
He announced a rally on Saturday at Liberty Square in Taipei in support of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and called on lawmakers to participate in the event to express solidarity with Hong Kong protesters, especially those who have joined the Taiwan Parliament Group for Hong Kong (台灣國會友好香港連線) created last month by independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐).
The news conference was also attended by members of the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance, New School For Democracy, Covenants Watch, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, and the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan, among others.
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NO SHAME IN RETREAT: Hikers should consider turning back if the weather turns bad or if they do not have sufficient equipment, the Taroko park headquarters said Two people died of hypothermia over the weekend while hiking on Hsuehshan (雪山), prompting park authorities to remind hikers to bring proper equipment and consider their physical condition before setting out in the cold weather. Temperatures dropped over the weekend, bringing snow to high altitudes in Shei-pa National Park. One hiker, surnamed Lin (林), who on Friday was traveling with a group of six along the Hsuehshan west ridge trail, lost consciousness due to hypothermia and died, the Shei-pa National Park Headquarters said. On Saturday, another hiker, surnamed Tien (田), in a group of five on the southeast of the west
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