Taiwan yesterday urged China to provide information on the whereabouts of a Taiwanese activist who went missing after joining pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong this month.
Morrison Lee (李孟居) traveled to Hong Kong for a vacation on Aug. 18 and attended one of the anti-extradition bill protests, Fangliao Township (枋寮) Mayor Archer Chen (陳亞麟) told Bloomberg News.
Lee serves as an unpaid adviser to the Pingtung County township, Chen said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Lee was scheduled to travel to Shenzhen, China, for business two days later.
Lee’s family said that they have not heard from him since he entered China, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) told a news briefing in Taipei yesterday.
Taiwan has asked Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to help look for Lee, but the Chinese authorities have not responded, Chiu said earlier in the day.
Beijing is required by bilateral agreements to inform Taipei if a Taiwanese is detained in China, but the government had not received any communication so far, he said.
Travelers to Hong Kong should keep a close eye on local reports regarding demonstrations and try to avoid protest areas, the council said, adding that it has posted a chart of planned protests in the territory on its Web site, which would be continuously updated.
It also warned that travelers going from Hong Kong into mainland China could face more stringent security and luggage checks by Chinese customs officers, as media reports have said that officers are demanding to see the contents of cellphones and laptops.
The council’s branch office in Hong Kong has established a task force to provide round-the-clock service, and any citizen encountering problems in Hong Kong — or their immediate relatives — should call the emergency number 852-6143-9012, the council said.
Citizens in China requiring assistance or their relatives should contact the Straits Exchange Foundation at its 24-hour emergency line (02) 2533-9995, it added.
Separately, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the government would receive visiting Hong Kongers without contravening the Act Governing Hong Kong and Macau Affairs (香港澳門關係條例).
The government continues to support the territory’s residents in their pursuit of democracy and freedom, but it would not intervene in the matter, Ou said in a statement, reiterating comments she made at a news conference on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Bureau has told all authorities that maintaining travelers’ rights is a priority when handling any disputes with travel agencies regarding refunds due to cancelations of tours or travel plans as a result of the Hong Kong protests.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua, Lin Chia-nan and staff writer Jake Chung
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect
Taiwanese singer and activist Panai Kusui on Saturday said that China’s censorship of her remarks about the Tiananmen Square Massacre at the Golden Melody Awards underscores the importance of Taiwan’s freedom. Beijing’s “actions further underscore the precious freedom in Taiwan,” Panai’s agent quoted the singer as saying after the ceremony. “The value of freedom can be felt at this moment,” Panai said. “I hope everyone will cherish what we have.” The indigenous singer won Best Taiwanese Album at the nation’s most prestigious music awards for Ia-Po (夜婆). During her acceptance speech, she urged people not to forget China’s 1989 crackdown on democracy protesters in