Taiwan to give fleeing Hongkongers ‘as much help as possible,’ says President Tsai

蘋果日報 2020/09/21 11:02


Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has pledged to review the current arrangement for Hongkongers seeking to work and live on the island, and to provide humanitarian assistance if needed.
The system will be examined to see if there are obstacles for Hongkongers trying to resettle in Taiwan, Tsai told the press on Sunday. The goal is to “provide as much help as possible” to Hongkongers, especially humanitarian help.
A special office has been set up by the government to handle relevant matters, Tsai added.
Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who moved to Taiwan last year, raised the issue of the difficulties Hongkongers face living on the self-ruled island when he met with visiting United States officials this week.
U.S. officials promised to help relocate some of the fleeing Hong Kong students to America, Lam told Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
However, Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Lin Chun-hsien argued against any overt attempt to help Hongkongers fleeing to Taiwan.
“Being vague is the best and only solution… we can do it, but we can’t say it,” Lin said, adding that any attempts at legislation may get mired in years of debate.
“It is the same as cross-straits relations: being vague is the only way to achieve real progress,” Lin said.
More than 300 Hongkongers have moved to the island since last April, according to Taiwan media outlets. Taiwanese journalist Edd Jhong reported earlier this month that five Hongkongers were detained by Taiwan authorities in Kaohsiung after fleeing there by boat.
Twelve Hongkongers remain in detention in mainland China after they were arrested in August during a failed boat escape to Taiwan.
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