My Take | Taiwan proves to be unwelcoming for many Hong Kong activists
- The island shows true face with proposed “nine don’ts” list, released in error by immigration agency prohibiting campaigning, employment and media interviews for people from Hong Kong and Macau
Many apt Cantonese slang terms came out of the 2019 unrest in Hong Kong. One of them was “condom”, meaning someone who has been used and then discarded. Many former Hong Kong activists who have moved to Taiwan have been describing themselves as such. Not a few feel abandoned by the island’s government and their own comrades in Hong Kong.
The latest bungle by Taiwan’s immigration agency confirms the view of the government of President Tsai Ing-wen, which indeed considers most of them little better than used rubber.
Last week, the agency mistakenly posted online a proposed “nine don’ts”, a list of activities that people staying on the island from Macau and Hong Kong would be prohibited from doing. It was taken down in less than 24 hours.
The proposed prohibited activities include: political campaigning and social activism; employment, including short-term contracts such as modelling; media interviews, including phone-in programmes; prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking; and entering or photographing government facilities and research laboratories.
The island’s Mainland Affairs Council has confirmed the list but said it was not meant for publication, stating the status of such individuals staying on the island remained unchanged. Well, for now. Neither the agency nor the council said what the list was for or how it might be used in future.
“At the moment, no bans or restrictions have been added,” a council statement said.