The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has urged Taiwanese to assess the risks of traveling to China after Taiwanese National Party vice chairman Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵) was reportedly arrested on charges of “endangering national security” and “secession” in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday.
The arrest of the 32-year-old democracy advocate was announced in a report by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV).
Yang was taken into custody by the state security bureau in Wenzhou on Wednesday on charges of being “engaged in separatist activities aimed at Taiwan’s independence,” CCTV reported.
Photo: Wu Shu-wei, Taipei Times
The council said it has yet to receive formal notice of Yang’s arrest.
It said Taiwanese should exercise caution when traveling to China given the potential risks to their personal freedom and security.
The council said it has asked China to adhere to the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, and requested that Yang’s right to a fair trial be guaranteed.
Some viewed Yang’s arrest as retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week.
At least two Taiwanese nationals, Shih Cheng-ping (施正屏), a retired National Taiwan Normal University associate professor, and academic Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) are imprisoned in China on national security and espionage charges.
The Democratic Progressive Party has conveyed its ire over Yang’s arrest in a statement issued on Thursday, saying that it was a serious violation of human rights.
Regional harmony is the shared responsibility of all countries in the region, and political disagreements across the Taiwan Strait should be addressed through interactions and dialogue conducted on an equal and rational basis, it said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost