Taiwan vows full probe into alleged transnational repression in Yaita case

Taipei, July 14 (CNA) The Presidential Office said Tuesday that authorities will thoroughly investigate any suspected transnational repression after media reports alleged that the assault on Taiwan-based political commentator Akio Yaita may have involved members of a Hong Kong triad.

The remarks came after Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media reported that the attack was allegedly orchestrated by members of the Hong Kong-based Wo Shing Wo (和勝和) criminal organization, with the suspect receiving instructions from overseas.

Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said the case remains under investigation by prosecutors and police.

"The government takes very seriously any transnational repression carried out by authoritarian groups targeting dissenting voices around the world," Kuo told reporters, adding that the authorities support a full investigation and are working with like-minded countries to combat such cross-border crimes.

Kuo said Taiwan, as a democratic society governed by the rule of law, "will never tolerate any overseas authoritarian forces using gangs, violence or intimidation to oppress or attack anyone who cherishes freedom and democracy in Taiwan."

She added that authorities will investigate and prosecute all those involved in accordance with the law, including perpetrators, masterminds and anyone who provided information or assistance to facilitate such crimes.

Yaita, CEO of the Taipei-based Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank, is a native of Japan and former journalist who holds Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship. He was punched in the face by a Hong Kong man after giving a speech at a hotel in Taichung on July 7.

Police arrested the suspect, surnamed Liu (廖), later that day at Taichung International Airport as he was attempting to leave Taiwan.

The Mainland Affairs Council has described the case as Taiwan's first suspected instance of transnational repression since China implemented its Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law on July 1, though prosecutors have not disclosed any evidence linking the assault to the law or other organizations.