Tsai kills slim chance of protest amnesty
- The Taiwanese president has exploited the unrest in Hong Kong to gain political capital, but verbally supporting protesters is one thing, offering them residency is something else
Whatever slim chance there was for the Hong Kong government to offer amnesty to violent protesters, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has killed it. In a moment of exuberance, Tsai called them “friends from Hong Kong” who could count on the self-ruled island to provide humanitarian aid, including asylum.
Hong Kong police are tracking down about 700 core protesters accused of having committed violent acts or assisting others to do so. According to advocacy groups in Taiwan, up to about 60 demonstrators from Hong Kong have reached the island and are exploring their legal options of staying there, including applying for political asylum.
Tsai has done so well exploiting the unrest in Hong Kong to gain political capital. She was left for dead, politically speaking, after massive losses in local elections in November. But then, President Xi Jinping’s hardline statement about using “one country, two systems” as the model to unify Taiwan with the mainland has helped boost Tsai’s standing among independence-minded voters.
The unrest in Hong Kong since June has been cleverly exploited by Tsai as proof that one country, two systems doesn’t work. Recent surveys show she may yet win a second term as president in January.
Taiwan party calls on triad ‘brethren in Hong Kong’ not to join protests
But verbally supporting Hong Kong’s protesters, however violent, is one thing, offering them residency on the island is something else. Perhaps she was just boasting and has no intention of honouring her promise.
After all, Taiwan is not party to the United Nations’ Refugee Convention – which defines the rights of asylum seekers and the responsibilities of signatory nations – and does not have its own legislation on refugees.
Many Hong Kong escapees will, no doubt, take up her offer in the coming months. However, it’s not clear how the Taiwanese public would treat these Hongkongers. Are they democracy fighters or violent vandals? It may be an insult to compare them with the island’s activists who did not conceal their identities during the Sunflower Movement of 2014 by wearing masks and goggles.
Radical and violent, many of the agitators are young, and have no professional qualifications and little work experience to offer. As brain-dead as the government of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has been, an amnesty is now out of the question. Instead, it should welcome the opportunity for Taiwan to take those people in so they can start a new life and taste true democratic freedom.
