Taiwan to open office next month for Hong Kong asylum seekers and migrants
蘋果日報 2020/06/19 07:55
Taiwan will establish a new office on July 1 dedicated to helping Hong Kongers who are fleeing political persecution to settle down in the self-ruled island, a top official in charge of relations with mainland China says.
Chen Ming-tong, Minister for the Mainland Affairs Council, made the announcement on Thursday but shed no light on the mechanism to assess asylum claims or whether the Taiwanese government would consider amending existing laws to offer better protection.
The new office would provide consultation services to all Hong Kongers planning to study, work, invest or acquire residency and citizenship in Taiwan, Chen said.
It would also provide humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers from Hong Kong in accordance with existing laws in collaboration with both official and civilian entities, on the prerequisite that the applicants posed no threat to Taiwan's security, he added.
The announcement came a day after the Group of Seven countries urged China to reconsider its decision to impose a national security law on Hong Kong that many feared would threaten the city's civil liberties. Taiwan is expected to be one of the destinations eyed by local political dissidents.
Chen said the aim of the new office was to give Hong Kongers who planned to move to Taiwan and those fearing political persecution more targeted assistance and a more convenient way to access public resources available to them. Taiwan also hoped to attract capital and talent from Hong Kong to boost its own economy, which had been stagnant during most of the last two decades, he added.
Earlier this month, civil rights groups in Taiwan called on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party administration to amend existing laws to better help Hong Kong dissidents seeking refuge in Taiwan, including by having a well-defined mechanism to handle asylum claims.
Chen did not address such calls on Thursday, maintaining instead that existing laws and mechanisms were sufficient. He also stopped short of disclosing the number of Hong Kongers seeking shelter on the island.
Separately on Thursday, the council said that Taiwan’s requirements for residency and citizenship acquisition were more relaxed for Hong Kongers than for other people, in response to a question on whether the government had set out a pathway for asylum seekers from Hong Kong.
It would also provide humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers from Hong Kong in accordance with existing laws in collaboration with both official and civilian entities, on the prerequisite that the applicants posed no threat to Taiwan's security, he added.
The announcement came a day after the Group of Seven countries urged China to reconsider its decision to impose a national security law on Hong Kong that many feared would threaten the city's civil liberties. Taiwan is expected to be one of the destinations eyed by local political dissidents.
Chen said the aim of the new office was to give Hong Kongers who planned to move to Taiwan and those fearing political persecution more targeted assistance and a more convenient way to access public resources available to them. Taiwan also hoped to attract capital and talent from Hong Kong to boost its own economy, which had been stagnant during most of the last two decades, he added.
Earlier this month, civil rights groups in Taiwan called on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party administration to amend existing laws to better help Hong Kong dissidents seeking refuge in Taiwan, including by having a well-defined mechanism to handle asylum claims.
Chen did not address such calls on Thursday, maintaining instead that existing laws and mechanisms were sufficient. He also stopped short of disclosing the number of Hong Kongers seeking shelter on the island.
Separately on Thursday, the council said that Taiwan’s requirements for residency and citizenship acquisition were more relaxed for Hong Kongers than for other people, in response to a question on whether the government had set out a pathway for asylum seekers from Hong Kong.
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