The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is to hold cross-departmental meetings to discuss easing regulations to allow Hong Kong and Macau residents to visit and live in Taiwan.
The discussions will focus on three areas: allowing outstanding Hong Kong graduates to work in Taiwan, relaxing the duration of the duration of stay limits for Hong Kong professionals and establishing a “green channel” to facilitate Hong Kong investment in Taiwan, the council said.
The “green channel” would expedite and provide more incentives to encourage Hong Kongers to invest in Taiwan, MAC spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said, adding that council would announce more measures after they are finalized.
Asked whether more channels would be made available to Hong Kong activists, Chiu said that current regulations — referring to Article 18 of the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong & Macao Affairs (香港澳門關係條例) — were sufficient.
However, the council does not rule considering other systems that could boost Taiwanese efforts to help Hong Kongers, he said.
Asked whether any Hong Kong civil servants have approached the Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchanges Office since its opening on July 1, and whether reviews for such individuals would be more strict, Chiu replied in the affirmative.
Citing recent amendments to Article 22 of the Regulations Governing Residency or Permanent Residency for People of the Hong Kong Area and the Macau Area (香港澳門居民進入臺灣地區及居留定居許可辦法), Chiu said that the review committee would pay especial attention to Hong Kongers who have worked for the Chinese government, the military or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or who were born on the mainland.
The nation should consider how to provide greater assistance to Hong Kong or sanction the governments responsible, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said earlier yesterday, following the sentencing on Wednesday of three prominent Hong Kong activists.
He said that two of them — Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) and Agnes Chow (周庭) — are old friends of his, having worked together on social movements in their respective homes.
“I am worried for them, but I also know they are very strong,” he said.
Many people surely feel bad for Hong Kong after seeing this news, but they should also look inward and think about their own responsibilities, Lin said.
For Taiwanese, this means establishing a democratic front line in Asia, and protecting people and nations that should be protected, he said.
Taiwan should also consider every possible way to help Hong Kong, whether in the form of policy, organizations or sanctions of the Hong Kong government or Beijing, Lin added.
Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) said that the government would continue to pay attention to the situation and providing substantive assistance to Hong Kongers.
Freedom and human rights are universal values, Li said, urging the Hong Kong government to provide its young citizens a home that is full of hope, not oppression.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Wednesday decried the Hong Kong court’s decision.
“Iron bars cannot hold the flame of freedom; one’s conscience will show them the light,” he wrote on Facebook.
A generation of young Taiwanese were not afraid of police brutality or imprisonment, and if they were afraid, they did not flinch, but marched bravely forward, he said.
Taiwan’s freedom and democracy are built on solid ground, thanks to the foundation these heroes built, Su added.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS