Taiwan deports Chinese couple accused of disrupting Hongkongers' event

Taipei, Oct. 3 (CNA) Taiwan's immigration authorities said on Thursday afternoon that they deported a Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents.

In a press release, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said the Chinese man surnamed Yao (姚) and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon on Thursday.

In addition, the immigration agency said that they annulled the Chinese pair's entry permits, citing violations of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into Taiwan Area.

According to the NIA, the couple applied to visit a family member in Taiwan at the end of September, but the person they intended to visit had already returned to China in July.

The NIA said the Chinese nationals were aware they were violating the rules when applying for temporary entry permits based on visiting family members living in Taiwan.

In a separate statement issued on Thursday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) -- Taiwan's top government agency handling cross-strait affairs -- denounced the couple for "abusing" the system.

However, the MAC did not explain why Taiwanese government agencies failed to detect such violations when reviewing the Chinese visitors' applications.

The agency responded only by saying that the government would review future applications "more strictly."

The violations of immigration rules by the Chinese couple only surfaced after they were accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei's Ximending shopping district organized by a group of Hong Kong residents in Taiwan on Tuesday evening.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Hong Kong group called "Oct. 1 Action Team" said their flag, which was printed with the protest slogan "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times," was thrown on the ground by one of the Chinese pair.

The slogan came to prominence during anti-Beijing protests that rocked the city in 2019, and has now been banned in Hong Kong under the Chinese Communist Party's draconian National Security Law.

"Today is China's National Day, and I will not allow this kind of flag to be displayed here," Yao said, according to video clips released by the group and Radio Free Asia (RFA), a U.S. government-funded news service.

The video clips also show Yao engaged in an altercation with what appear to be other participants at the event.

Yao said "both Taiwan and Hong Kong are part of China" before a policeman led the couple away from the scene, according to the footage.

In its statement, the MAC warned Chinese nationals against making "statements harmful to Taiwan's autonomous status" or otherwise engaging in "acts undermining the nation's sovereignty" while in Taiwan, citing the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into Taiwan Area.

Article 12 of the regulations stipulate that Chinese nationals visiting Taiwan risk having their entry permits revoked if they "engage in inappropriate acts that breach the principle of equality and dignity."