Image by Etan Liam via Flickr.
On July 1, hundreds of protesters in Hong Kong stormed their way into the legislative building on the island, fighting for their autonomy over an extradition bill with China. Over 30 of those protesters have fled the city, seeking refuge in Taiwan.Taiwan’s Apple Daily reports that these activists are staying in a number of locations across Taiwan, with local NGOs as a source of support.Taiwan’s government said it will provide whatever it deemed necessary when it comes to helping the protesters. The mainland affairs council, which is Taiwan’s top policymaking body when it comes to China, issued a statement on July 19. As reported by The Guardian, the government said that they would handle these cases “under the principle of respecting human rights protections and humanitarian concerns.” They continued to say that they will “provide necessary assistance to Hong Kong residents whose safety and freedom are in urgent danger due to political reasons.”Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen told the country’s Central News Agency, “These friends from Hong Kong will be treated in an appropriate way on humanitarian grounds.”
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Tsai’s relationship with Beijing is set to worsen after this move. Since her landslide win in the 2016 elections, Beijing cut off all official communications with Taiwan. This is primarily because her party refused to accept that Taiwan is a part of China.According to Al Jazeera, Taiwan has no formal refugee law, but Amnesty International believes there is a way for them to help nonetheless. Acting Director Annie Huang stated Taiwan’s government can provide refuge based on existing laws in the constitution. Article 18 is written for Hong Kong and Macau residents, stating that assistance could be provided if their “safety and liberty are immediately threatened for particular reasons.”About 30 more protesters are allegedly making their way to Taiwan in the face of mounting tensions in Hong Kong.Find Meera on Twitter and Instagram.