Chinese activist asks Taiwan not to deport him
He also alleged that Chinese authorities had detained him in the past, confiscated his phone, and conducted a psychiatric evaluation on him.
“I could no longer endure (it) … so I fled China on Jul 22,” Chen wrote. “On Sep 22, I finally arrived in Taiwan, the island of freedom.”
AFP has not independently verified Chen’s account.
The activist, based in China’s southern province of Hunan, had vocally supported Hong Kong protesters in 2019 when the city saw massive demonstrations calling for more autonomy from Beijing.
According to Radio Free Asia, Chen first travelled to Laos after leaving China in July, before crossing into Thailand.
But due to worries about being sent to immigration prison in Thailand – a country with a track record of deporting dissidents – he bought a return ticket to China that transited via Taiwan, RFA said.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has not responded to requests for comment on Chen’s current status.
In 2019 two Chinese dissidents spent more than four months trapped in limbo at Taiwan’s airport after fleeing China.
Immigration officials refused to grant them entry because they did not have valid visas, but the democratic government of Taiwan was also wary of deporting them.
After 125 days, they were allowed a temporary stay outside the airport. They have since left for Canada where both were granted asylum status.
Source: CNA