Gov't asks public to postpone Cuba travel after Taiwanese denied entry

Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday called on the public to put off travel plans to Cuba, after a Taiwanese man told CNA that he and some of his family had been denied entry to the country on Sunday "due to the strained relations between Taiwan and China."

Danny Yen, a Taiwanese expatriate in Canada, told CNA Sunday that he and his four family members, who all live in Montreal, Canada, traveled to Havana on their Republic of China (ROC) passports for a 9-day trip in the Caribbean country.

However, Yen said that only his wife and one of his children were approved to enter the country, while he and two other family members were denied.

When asked for a reason, Cuban immigration officials told him that Cuba upholds the one-China principle, which considers the ROC to be a part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and thus does not recognize its passport, according to Yen.

Yen, however, asked the officials what had changed over the past few months, noting that his Taiwanese friends had been able to enter Cuba in May and July.

In response, the Cuban officials told him: "This is our new policy because Taiwan and China now have a strained relationship," Yen said.

Yen said that ultimately his whole family waited over 10 hours at Havana Airport for the next flight back to Canada. They arrived back in Montreal on Sunday morning (Eastern Standard Time).

According to MOFA, ROC passport holders can travel to Cuba visa free for up to 180 days as long they also have a Cuba Tourist Card, a travel permit readily available at travel agencies outside Taiwan.

MOFA deputy spokesman Hsiao Kuangwei (蕭光偉) told CNA that after hearing of Yen's case, MOFA double-checked whether the Cuban government had recently announced any new regulations that would prevent ROC passport holders from entering the country visa-free.

However, MOFA has found no relevant information on the Cuban government website to suggest anything has changed, Hsiao said.

Furthermore, since Taiwan does not have a representative office in Cuba, it is difficult for MOFA officials to directly contact Cuban authorities, Hsiao added.

MOFA is now asking its representative office in Colombia, which handles Cuban affairs, to try and find out whether the reported entry refusal was an individual decision or reflective of a new policy, Hsiao said.

Meanwhile, MOFA has called on Taiwanese passport holders to postpone traveling to Cuba or to check with their airline for any available information on the admission eligibility of Taiwan passport holders

MOFA also issued an orange travel alert for Cuba, the second highest on its four-tiered travel advisory scale regarding safety and security in foreign countries, which indicates unnecessary travel should be avoided.

The lowest level, grey, signifies caution should be exercised; yellow suggests travel should be reconsidered; orange indicates unnecessary travel should be avoided; and red instructs ROC nationals not to travel to a destination.