Groups yesterday revived calls for legislation to protect the right to seek refuge, after three Chinese nationals claiming asylum in Taiwan earlier this week were sent back to Malaysia.
Radio Free Asia reported that a man named Tian Yongde (田永德), a woman named Wei Yani (韋亞妮) and her teenage son, Huang Xingxing (黃星星), on Tuesday refused to board a Beijing-bound flight that they had booked after disembarking a flight from Kuala Lumpur.
Tian, who claimed to be an original signator of a protest document entitled Charter 08 originally hailing from Chinese Mongolia, said the three feared persecution by China and intended to obtain asylum in the US after being allowed a temporary stay in Taiwan, the outlet said.
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Wei and Huang — no relation to Tian — were formerly residents of China’s Guangxi autonomous region, it said, citing Wei as saying that she had been declared a subversive and imprisoned for nearly 11 years for signing a petition.
The trio arrived that evening and were supposed to board a flight to China in the afternoon the next day, but instead spoke to National Immigration Agency (NIA) personnel demanding asylum, the agency said.
The NIA did not grant their request, as procedures require passengers to travel to the intended designation of their flight and those found at a connection without a visa must be returned to the airport of origin, it said, citing aviation rules and treaties.
The three were returned to Malaysia via EVA Airways Flight BR217 after being housed in the on-site infirmary overnight, the NIA said, adding that processing the three took one day.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights researcher Shih Yi-hsiang (施逸翔) said that Taiwan has no laws to protect asylum seekers or regulations governing the handling of refugees, hampering humanitarian efforts to help those fleeing wars or natural disasters.
The three Chinese nationals who were turned away appeared to be registered as refugees by the UN, meaning that their claims of being persecuted in China have been recognized as factual, he said.
“Taiwan could have dealt with this situation with more adherence to human rights and democratic legal procedures if the government had a response mechanism,” Shih said.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Jan Jyh-horng (詹志宏) told a news conference that the three asylum seekers differed from Chinese dissident Chen Siming (陳思明), as the latter contacted the Canadian government before setting foot in Taiwan.
The prior arrangement gave the nation latitude to grant Chen’s request, despite the absence of an entry permit, he said, adding that the Chinese dissident was allowed to depart for Canada without clearing customs and entering Taiwan.
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