Today marks the deadline for two Chinese-born spouses of Taiwanese who posted “reunification” comments on social media to voluntarily leave Taiwan before being forcibly deported.
The two women, who go by Xiaowei (小微) and Enqi (恩綺), have had their dependent-based residency permits revoked and cannot reapply for five years after being reported for comments on Chinese social media platform Douyin about “reunifying” China and Taiwan by military force.
One woman has already bought flight tickets and is prepared to leave, while one remains undecided, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) told reporters at the Legislative Yuan today.
Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
The Ministry of the Interior found that one influencer has a strong connection to the Taiwan Affairs Office in China, having previously maintained frequent communication, which could be the cause of the current uncertainties, she said.
Neither of the two women has citizenship or a Taiwanese passport, so according to National Immigration Agency (NIA) regulations, Chinese citizens whose dependent-based residency permits are revoked have 10 days to leave Taiwan before facing forced deportation measures, she added.
Both women have sought counsel from Taiwanese lawyers and have filed appeals, she said.
The two women and their Taiwanese husbands on Friday last week protested outside the Presidential Office with a white banner reading: “Give back our rights as mothers."
Both women have protested being separated from their families in the event of deportation.
They also handed a petition to the Presidential Office’s military police.
Their actions would not affect the enforcement of the original ruling, Liu said.
The NIA is already aware of the two women’s place of residence and movements, she added.
In an effort to avoid conflict, a special NIA task force would first try to persuade the women to leave voluntarily, the NIA said.
If the women refuse to comply, the agents would resort to using force, it said.
In the event of forced deportation, any costs incurred for flight tickets and related expenses would be charged to the person concerned or their guarantor in Taiwan, as stated in Article 19 of the Act Governing the Relations Between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the agency said.
If they fail to pay, the case would be referred to the Ministry of Justice’s Administrative Enforcement Agency for collection, it added.
Additional reporting by Wang Kuan-jen and CNA
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