Chinese students who contravene laws or regulations in Taiwan would not be allowed re-entry into the nation, National Immigration Agency Director-General Chiu Feng-kuang (邱豐光) said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan.
He made the remark while being questioned by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, of which Wang is a coconvener.
Wang asked Chiu whether, according to regulations, Chinese students who contravene laws or regulations, for example by attacking people on campuses or tearing down so-called “Lennon walls,” would be allowed to re-enter Taiwan after they leave for school holidays.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“If [they] contravene regulations or break the law, we will not let them re-enter,” Chiu said.
Wang said that some Chinese students allegedly hit other students, tore down “Lennon walls” to put up China’s national flag in their place and poured tea on Hong Kong students who were dining at a restaurant.
Would they be allowed to re-enter after they leave, he asked.
“I believe [the agency’s] joint review committee would not agree to let them re-enter,” Chiu said.
This policy “not only protects Taiwanese and Hong Kong students. I believe it also protects Chinese students who really came here to study,” Wang said.
Students who have engaged in such behavior include those from I-Shou University, Chinese Culture University and Shih Hsin University, he added.
In related news, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) yesterday called on Chinese students in Taiwan to cherish the freedom of speech and refrain from violence or targeting other students, in the wake of several incidents at universities, where expressions of support for the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have resulted in scuffles.
Speaking on the sideline of a legislative committee meeting, Pan said the Ministry of Education has established an ad hoc team to work with local universities, especially those with large numbers of students from China and Hong Kong, to address the issue.
A number of disputes between Hong Kong and Chinese students over the months-long protests in the territory have been reported on campuses.
Pan said the ministry has asked all universities and their campus security report centers to safeguard students’ safety and freedom of speech.
School authorities have also been advised to help the students who had faced verbal abuse or physical violence and wish to take legal action, he added.
“The true meaning of college education is to allow students from different nations engage in exchanges and respect different opinions,” Pan said
The government would not tolerate any violence targeting people exercising their freedom of speech, he added.
Pan’s remarks were made in response to media reports of four incidents late last month; two in which Hong Kong students were confronted by Chinese students for expressing support for the Hong Kong protests, and two others in which materials supporting the demonstrations were torn down from message boards.
On Monday, two “Lennon walls” on National Tsing Hua University’s campus in Hsinchu bearing post-it notes supporting the Hong Kong protests were damaged by unknown people.
About 30,000 Chinese students are enrolled at Taiwanese universities and 7,700 from Hong Kong, ministry data showed.
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