Foreign
TAIWANESE rights groups on Tuesday called for continued support for Hong Kong’s protesters to mark the first anniversary of Hong Kong’s anti-extradition bill.
Huge protests a year ago saw Hong Kong’s leadership suspend the bill, which would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China to stand trial.
However, Beijing’s recent plans to impose national security laws in Hong Kong sparked new concerns, as the legislation is understood to present a threat to Hong Kong’s autonomy under the framework in place since the territory was handed over from London to Beijing in 1997.
Some Taiwanese civic groups and Hong Kongers living in Taiwan called for a mass gathering in Taipei on Saturday to show opposition to the law.
Lai Chung-Chiang, from the civic group the Economic Democracy Union, told a news conference the Taiwan government should revise existing regulations to ensure the rights of Hong Kongers seeking asylum in Taiwan.
Groups including the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Judicial Reform Foundation and Hong Kong Outlanders backed the call.
Wu Jieh-min, a China expert at the research facility Academia Sinica in Taipei, echoed the call for Taiwan to adjust its immigration stance for Hong Kongers and aim to “attract talent in the arts and sciences as well as in finance,” in an article in U.S. journal The Diplomat.
Taiwan’s government, which has condemned Beijing for endorsing the national security legislation, is expected to release details on Thursday about a previously announced humanitarian action plan to assist Hong Kongers.
Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949; however, Beijing considers the island part of its territory. (dpa/NAN)
– Jun. 9, 2020 @ 11:05 GMT |
Tags: Taiwan rights groups urge support for Hong Kong protesters
