More than 40 Taiwanese citizens are under investigation for allegedly holding Chinese identity cards, with 14 individuals having already been notified that their Taiwanese household registrations and other documents are to be revoked, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said yesterday.
Asked whether Huang An (黃安), a Taiwanese singer and long-term resident of China, was among those whose Taiwanese citizenship is being revoked, Liu today said this was personal information that is not supposed to be disclosed.
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said if Huang holds a Chinese ID, his Taiwanese citizenship would be revoked immediately.
Photo: Li Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
At a news conference yesterday following a Ministry of the Interior meeting in Taipei, Liu said that Taiwanese citizens found illegally holding Chinese identity documents would have their Taiwanese health insurance, identity cards and passports revoked.
They would "not be Taiwanese citizens" anymore, she said.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) said that regulations governing household registrations mean that any Taiwanese found holding Chinese household registration would have their Taiwanese household registration canceled.
It "would not be very easy" for them to regain household registration in Taiwan in the future, Wu added, citing regulations.
At the news conference yesterday, Liu was also asked about a Taiwan-based Chinese social media influencer, known as "Yaya in Taiwan" (亞亞在台灣), who has been ordered to leave the country over her public statements advocating China's "military unification" of Taiwan.
Liu said that the NIA has followed the law and not deviated from procedural norms.
Liu also said that while online statements made by Yaya have been "inconsistent," the penalty against her remains unchanged.
If the Chinese national — whose residence permit was based on her marriage to a Taiwanese citizen — does not comply with her 10-day deportation order, then she would be forcibly removed from the country, the minister said.
Asked about how many Chinese social media influencers whose residence permits were based on marriage to a Taiwanese citizen have been questioned or investigated due to public statements advocating China's "military unification" of Taiwan, Liu said the number of cases varies as they continue to receive more reports every day.
The authorities receive reports from different channels, she said, adding that the council and the National Immigration Agency would investigate anyone who was reported whether they were Taiwanese allegedly holding Chinese IDs or Chinese spouses.
Asked whether Huang would face any punishment for his comments about surrendering after a Chinese invasion given that Chinese spouses making public comments that promote China’s “military unification” could be deported, Chiu today said that the council would take action.
Describing Huang’s comments as arousing public anger, Chiu said the council is to investigate whether Huang has applied for a Chinese ID and cooperated with the Chinese government, the Chinese military and the Chinese Communist Party.
The agency's recent actions had prompted Pa Chiung (八炯), a popular YouTuber who is critical of the Chinese Communist Party, to call for a public protest against the National Immigration Agency over this and similar cases.
Pa Chiung had brought up the issue of Taiwanese citizens illegally holding Chinese identity documents into the public spotlight in recent weeks through videos posted on social media.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS