Hong Kong refuses to renew work visa for representative from Taiwan

Tsai Meng-chieh from self-ruled island’s Investigation Bureau was told last week he would not be given an extension and returned home on Wednesday

Official in December became first Taiwanese investigator to be sent to Hong Kong in a sign of ‘mutual trust and judicial cooperation’

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Tsai Meng-chieh was refused a new work visa and forced to return to Taiwan. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:20pm, 18 Sep 2019Updated: 9:20pm, 18 Sep 2019

Authorities in Hong Kong have refused to renew a work visa for a Taiwanese representative to the special administration region in another sign of the frosty relations across the Taiwan Strait.

Tsai Meng-chieh, who works for Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau, was forced to return home on Wednesday after the city government refused to extend his papers, according to officials from the bureau and the Mainland Affairs Council.

“Tsai, whose visa was due to expire [on Wednesday], applied in July to extend his visa, but was told last week that his working visa would be discontinued,” a council official said.

Tsai, who is deputy section chief of Taiwan’s representative office, in December became the first investigator from the self-ruled island to be sent by the bureau to Hong Kong.

Taiwanese officials said at the time his move signalled the mutual trust and judicial cooperation between the two sides.

Tsai is deputy section chief of Taiwan’s representative office. Photo: Handout

Tsai, who received training from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, is credited with coordinating the work of Taiwanese prosecutors and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to crack a criminal gang involved in telecoms fraud in the US and having the suspects returned to Taiwan, the Investigation Bureau said.