A group of Hong Kongers living in Taiwan, known as the Hong Kong Outlanders, yesterday marked the first anniversary of the passage of Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law by holding a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei in support of Hong Kongers arrested under the article.
Article 23 forbids any action undermining the sovereignty, the unity of territory, the safety and the solidarity of the People’s Republic of China, the group said.
It also forbids foreign political groups from conducting political activities within Hong Kong and banned Hong Kong-based political groups from establishing contact with foreign political groups, it said.
Photo CNA
Lam Wing-kee (林榮基), former owner of Causeway Bay Books, said the people of Hong Kong are beginning to understand that since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) took office in 2012, “one country, two systems” existed only in name.
Hong Kong used to be prosperous and stable, but since Article 23 was implemented, the freedoms of Hong Kongers have become restricted, he said.
In essence, Article 23 overlaps with China’s National Security Law, allowing the Chinese government, and by extension, the Hong Kong government to accuse anyone of sedition, Lam said.
The passage of Article 23 meant that despite Hong Kong protesters leaving the territory, family members residing in Hong Kong are still prone to harassment from the local government, he said.
Fu Tong (赴湯) said that Hong Kongers have been warned that any misconduct would result in them being imprisoned once more, and they are monitored and warned not to attend gatherings and to go straight home after they leave work.
Other acquaintances posting on Facebook have also been warned not to contact Hong Kongers overseas, Fu said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Chieh (黃捷), who chairs the Taiwan Parliamentary Group for Hong Kong, criticized Article 23 for its restrictions, and for granting the Hong Kong government the power to detain and arrest others on baseless charges.
Amnesty International Taiwan secretary-general Chiu E-ling (邱伊翎) said Article 23 has granted the Chinese Communist Party the legal basis to suppress freedom of speech, citing how 13 Hong Kongers abroad have already had their passports revoked, been disbarred and prohibited from financial trading.
She urged the Chinese government to abolish the article and urged Taiwan to enact measures preventing Hong Kongers in Taiwan from being arrested.
Judicial Reform Foundation deputy chief executive officer Lee Ming-ju (李明洳) cited as an example the unreasonable detention of family members of Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤), a core member of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China before its disbanding in 2021.
Lee said the family members were detained and are facing seven years in jail years for forwarding Facebook posts, or 10 years if the posts are deemed to be colluding with foreign forces.
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
The Chinese wife of a Taiwanese, surnamed Liu (劉), who openly advocated for China’s use of force against Taiwan, would be forcibly deported according to the law if she has not left Taiwan by Friday, National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials said yesterday. Liu, an influencer better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), obtained permanent residency via marriage to a Taiwanese. She has been reported for allegedly repeatedly espousing pro-unification comments on her YouTube and TikTok channels, including comments supporting China’s unification with Taiwan by force and the Chinese government’s stance that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.” Liu
FATE UNKNOWN: The owner of the dog could face a fine of up to NT$150,000 and the animal could be euthanized if he cannot show that he can effectively supervise it A pit bull terrier has been confiscated by authorities after it yesterday morning bit a motorcyclist in Taipei, following footage of the same dog in a similar attack going viral online earlier this month. When the owner, surnamed Hsu (徐), stopped at a red light on Daan District’s (大安) Wolong Street at 8am, the dog, named “Lucky,” allegedly rolled down the automatic window of the pickup truck they were riding in, leapt out of the rear passenger window and attacked a motorcyclist behind them, Taipei’s Daan District Police Precinct said. The dog clamped down on the man’s leg and only let go
RSS