Taiwan redirects 3 Chinese asylum seekers to another country

Taoyuan, Aug. 22 (CNA) A Chinese family of three who were seeking political asylum in Taiwan had been redirected to another country that could provide them with the safety they were pursuing, the National Immigration Agency's Border Affairs Corps said Thursday.

The family includes a woman who has a presence on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the corps told CNA, adding that her Chinese passport shows her name as Deng Liting (鄧麗婷).

Deng and her family recently entered Taiwan as transit passengers, and on arrival, they made a request to be redirected to a western country and also asked about Taiwan's political asylum laws and its prospects, the corps said.

The three family members, however, were unable to board a transfer flight to a western country as they did not have the required visas, the corps said.

As Taiwan's current laws do not include a political asylum policy, the corps said, it arranged for the family to be redirected to another country, with their consent. In that undisclosed country, the family will have a chance to obtain the safety they are seeking, the corps added.

It said Taiwan's handling of the matter did not violate the United Nation's Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its principle of non-refoulement.

Meanwhile, Deng has posted on X about her family's efforts to seek asylum, saying Tuesday that they had landed safely in Taiwan.

Her posts, which also indicate that she is a writer published on Amazon, included an apology to the people of Taiwan for creating a difficult situation.

Deng said she and her family had decided to take their chances in Taiwan, although they were aware that its laws do not cover refugees seeking political asylum.

After the family fled China, they went to Thailand and then to Singapore, seeking asylum, but to no avail, she wrote, adding that they had no choice but to try Taiwan next.

According to the post, Deng has been persecuted in China and was at risk of severe punishment, which could have collaterally involved her young son.

On Thursday, Deng posted on X that before her family arrived in Taiwan, they had applied for political asylum in Canada.

However, even with the help of the Ireland-based human rights organization Front Line Defenders, the asylum process could take six months to a year, she wrote.

She also told her followers on X that Taiwan has no obligation to her family, and she urged them not to hold Taiwan "hostage emotionally."

The case of the Deng family was the third attempt in the past year by Chinese nationals to seek political asylum in Taiwan.

In September 2023, Chinese dissident Chen Siming (陳思明) refused to return to China after his flight from Thailand made a transit stop in Taiwan.

Before his arrival in Taiwan, he had made an appeal to Canada, where he was subsequently redirected and granted political asylum.

In February, three Chinese asylum seekers, who arrived in Taiwan from Malaysia, were sent back there, as they could not present travel proper documents such as visas and permits.