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.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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