The Control Yuan has asked the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) to enhance emergency assistance measures for Taiwanese traveling in China in light of increasing cases of harassment by Chinese national security agencies.
Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程) said in a news release yesterday that the Control Yuan had earlier this month approved an investigation report he submitted requesting the Executive Yuan to urge the MAC to enhance emergency assistance measures, as well as continue to raise public awareness about the risks of traveling to China.
China is one of the most autocratic nations with an atrocious human rights record, and an opaque and unfair judicial system that arbitrarily defines “national security,” he said.
Photo: Lin Che-yuan, Taipei Times
Taiwan is one of the freest and most democratic countries, where its people are used to a life of freedom and democracy, and lack a sense of danger when touring or working in China, he added.
Taiwanese frequently visit China for exchanges, and many of them have encountered harassment or unlawful infringement of their freedom by local national security agencies, he said.
However, the Taiwanese government might not be able to fully protect the personal rights and freedom of people detained in China, some of whom are afraid to reach out to Taiwanese authorities for fear of revenge, and China, in its arrogance, would not cooperate with Taiwan in accordance with cross-strait agreements, Lin said.
China has been amending national security laws to shape a legal environment where law enforcement agencies can arbitrarily interpret the law and extend their jurisdiction extraterritoriality, he said.
Chinese national security agencies are allowed to target certain Taiwanese and arrest them in China based on fabricated national security concerns, Lin said, adding that some were threatened and forced to help collect information or establish intelligence groups in Taiwan.
Taiwanese might be charged with endangering national security law and arrested if they comment on Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), photograph ports or military exercises, or advocate freedom and democracy during their stay sin China, he said.
Furthermore, Taiwanese face the risk of punishment by death according to 22 guidelines issued by the Chinese government on June 21 on so-called “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” he said.
Statements and actions considered acceptable in a free and democratic society like Taiwan would be exaggerated and deemed to be “pro-Taiwanese independence,” “splitting the country” or “inciting secession,” he said.
For example, a Taiwan-born singer based in South Korea was reported as a Taiwanese independence supporter simply because she held the national flag of Taiwan, Lin said.
The MAC and the Straits Exchange Foundation do not have branches in China, so Taiwanese travelers facing problems such as infringement of personal freedom in China can only rely on local Taiwan business associations for immediate assistance — but that could be ineffectual, he said.
The Executive Yuan should ask the MAC to convey the message more effectively to the Taiwanese public, cautioning those traveling to China to avoid making statements and actions that could be regarded as contraventions of national security laws or other criminal regulations, Lin said.
The MAC should also encourage people visiting China, Hong Kong or Macau to register their destination and other relevant information on the agency’s online system, which was established in January last year, so that the Taiwanese government can contact their family and provide assistance in case of emergencies, he said.
The number of registrations remains low, with about 1.76 million people traveling to China last year, but only 3,426 individuals and 1,625 groups registered on the system, Lin said.
The MAC should analyze data regarding Taiwanese travelers in China being detained, imprisoned, sentenced to jail, restricted from moving or changing residence, or even leaving the country, as well as collect and report incidents of China unlawfully infringing on the personal freedom of Taiwanese, he added.
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