Hong Kong film producer and son denied visas to live in Taiwan because of pro-Beijing stance
- Taiwanese authorities cite Article 22 in rejecting applications by Charles Heung Wah-keung and his son Jacky
- Vice-chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei says authorities review applications for security and criminal concerns
Heung, whose wife Tiffany Chen Ming-ying – also known as Chen Lan – is Taiwanese, applied in December for permanent residence in Taiwan, according to the Mainland Affairs Council, the island’s top cross-strait policy planning body.
The National Immigration Agency said on Thursday that after weeks of review, they turned down residency applications by both Heung and his son, Jacky Heung.
“On Heung and his son’s application cases, after review by relevant authorities, we have decided not to approve their application in accordance with Article 22 of the Regulations Governing Permits for People from Hong Kong and Macau Setting up Residence or Permanent Residence in the Republic of China [Taiwan],” it said in a statement.
The agency did not specify which part of Article 22 of the regulations Heung and his son, who was also married to a Taiwanese woman, had violated.
According to Article 22, those who have been found to have committed crimes, endangered national security and social order as well as engaging in terrorist activities, financing subversion and working for government, military and political party organisations on the mainland are among items subject to disapproval of residency application.