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TAIPEI (REUTERS) – For some Hong Kong protesters, stripped of their passports and facing criminal charges, a dangerous 600-kilometer sea journey to Taiwan is their only hope of escape.
For Taiwan, which has promised assistance to the Hong Kong people but is wary of antagonizing China, this presents a dilemma.
People began fleeing to Taiwan from the first months of the Hong Kong protests last year, mainly legally by air, sometimes on fishing boats, said activists in Taipei who have helped Hong Kong residents obtain visas.
With a few hundred, they included people who participated in the pro-democracy protests, as well as clergy, social workers and others who offered care and support to the protesters.
This year, coronavirus-related travel restrictions and China’s new national security law, which was imposed in Hong Kong on June 30 and gave Chinese police and security agents broad powers, have narrowed the options for the protesters to leave and drastically reduced the number of people fleeing to Taiwan to a few dozen. The most desperate take risks by sea.
Last month, China stopped a boat carrying 12 people and Taiwan intercepted a boat carrying five near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea. Multiple sources with knowledge of the smuggling operation said that at least a dozen more pro-democracy activists have arrived in Taiwan by boat.
These crosses have brought some “comfort” to pro-democracy activists, mostly young, who fled to Taiwan before Hong Kong’s security law came into effect, one said.
“We have always felt guilty for running away.”
Those who stayed in Hong Kong had two options: face trial or try to flee.
“It is a choice between hope and hopelessness. Of course, some have chosen to risk their lives at sea.”
This person and other activists, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a small-scale operation, organized by individuals in Hong Kong and Taiwan, to transport protesters through the typhoon-prone South China Sea.
The few who risked the trip have been charged with crimes such as arson and rioting by Hong Kong authorities and have had their passports confiscated.
So far, Hong Kong has charged more than 600 people with rioting, which carries a jail term of up to 10 years.
The journey, which can last more than a day, is fraught with risks.
Driving a speedboat under cover of night carries the danger of colliding with rocks and submerged buoys.
There is also the danger of being detected. In Hong Kong waters, marine police patrols are frequently seen among fishing trawlers, container ships, pleasure boats and speedboats. Increased Chinese military patrols and training exercises in the South China Sea around Hong Kong have increased the risk of interception.
At least a dozen other protesters, possessing travel documents, have arrived by air in recent months, despite the suspension of most Taiwan visa applications due to the coronavirus.
Taiwan said in June that it would allow Hong Kong residents to apply for entry based on “special humanitarian considerations.”
The Taiwanese government declined to say how many Hong Kong people have been granted residency or entry. He has repeatedly said that anyone who enters the island must do so legally.
“I bought a return ticket and carried a lot of luggage, trying my best to act like a normal traveler,” said a person who flew to Taiwan on a commercial flight, describing a hastily organized trip before the security law went into effect. From Hong Kong. . “It was a huge relief from the moment I boarded the Taiwanese plane. I finally knew I was safe.”
SOLVE AN EQUATION
The Taiwanese government faces a difficult balancing act. He wants to help Hong Kong residents fleeing to the island, legally or illegally, but is increasingly wary of doing so openly in case this prompts a strong reaction from China, including possible military action, three sources said. with direct knowledge. of governmental thought.
Reuters’ questions to the Taiwanese government were referred to the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees Chinese and Hong Kong policy. The council declined to comment on what it called “rumors.” He said in a statement that the government has established a “humanitarian assistance” mechanism to provide necessary assistance to those who are qualified, but did not elaborate.
“This is like solving a simultaneous equation,” said the ruling Democratic Progressive Party MP Hung Sun-han, speaking on his own. “We need to consider human rights, but we must also manage the tense relations between China and Taiwan.”
Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have skyrocketed since President Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected for crushing in January with a promise to stand up to Beijing, which has never given up using force to subdue Taiwan, which it sees as a renegade province. your control.
Ms. Tsai pledged to help people arriving from Hong Kong, including setting up an office to help with employment, life assignments and counseling. But that was several weeks before the introduction of Hong Kong’s security law, and little was known about its content and implications. The law makes anything that Beijing considers subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces punishable by up to life in prison.
More recently, Taiwan has been shy about the extent of the aid it has provided.
The Taiwanese government has several concerns, according to the three sources. He does not want to be accused of helping people Beijing says are violent criminals. Taiwan also fears Chinese military threats against the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, two of the three sources said.
One scenario that Taiwan authorities fear is that China could seize the Pratas Islands of Taiwan, the Taiwanese-controlled but lightly defended territory closest to Hong Kong, in a drastic escalation of tensions that could lead to war, said two seniors. officials familiar with the situation.
Taiwan has repeatedly complained about Chinese military activities in the area, including the rare large-scale air and naval drills conducted near the Pratas Islands on September 9 and 10, which Taiwan called a grave provocation and Beijing described as a necessity. to protect their sovereignty.
In mid-September, during the visit of United States Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach to Taipei, China sent several planes to cross the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait and also to the nearby Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone. of Pratas.
Taiwan says Chinese planes have continued to fly near Pratas since then.
A mainland Chinese official who spoke to Reuters said delicate diplomacy was needed between Taiwan and China, as a political misstep could lead to a military conflict.
“We never talk about war, but we must be aware of this danger,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, at home in Taiwan, there is mounting popular pressure for Ms. Tsai’s government to do more to help Hong Kong residents, for example, by introducing a law guaranteeing shelter to Hong Kong residents. Hong Kong and promising not to detain people arriving illegally by boat. .
The three people familiar with government thinking described a strategy of quietly offering support, what some call “doing more, saying less.”
They said Taiwan is offering concrete aid – entry visas, for example – without generating accusations from China of collusion with Hong Kong “separatists.”
Still, the smuggling reports are “very difficult to handle and have brought us a lot of trouble,” said one of the sources, speaking of mounting pressure from China, without elaborating.
“But Taiwan will adhere to the principle of not sending people back.”
This source said Taiwan is “blurring” the details of what the government called “humanitarian assistance” to Hong Kong residents, making it impossible for the public and the media to confirm reports of illegal entry.
“To rescue people, we must remain as quiet as possible … Keeping a low profile is the only way to protect people.”
FUGITIVES AND CRIMINALS
Pressure on Taiwan from Chinese politicians and state media is increasing.
On September 14, former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun Ying asked in a Facebook post why Taiwan withheld information on the whereabouts of the five people detained by the Taiwan Coast Guard near the Pratas Islands.
Leung, now vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s main advisory body, told Reuters that it was important to know the identities of the five to determine “whether they are fugitives or have escaped from court proceedings.” . .
Hong Kong also hoped to be told on what charges they were detained, whether they would now be released, prosecuted or deported, and what access they have to legal assistance, he said.
Also on September 14, the Hong Kong Security Bureau, responsible for security and law enforcement, called on Taiwan not to “harbor criminals.”
Furthermore, the Hong Kong government has told four officials at Taiwan’s de facto consulate in Hong Kong that their visas will not be renewed because they refused to acknowledge Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of “one China,” it reported. Reuters in July. All four have left the city.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond directly to a Reuters question on the visa issue. She said she supported the “handling of Taiwan-related issues in Hong Kong” by the city government.
He accused the Taipei authorities of “colluding” with the independence and anti-China forces.
“Any action that brings chaos to Hong Kong or seeks independence will be severely punished by law,” he said.
One of the three people with knowledge of the Taiwanese government’s thinking explained, “We don’t want the Communist Party to find an excuse to take revenge on the Taiwanese people in Hong Kong or China. We want to offer real help” to Hong Kong residents. “without making us vulnerable to China at the national security level.”
LOST AT SEA
Those leaving Hong Kong by boat check the weather conditions before leaving. White-coated waves and prevailing winds can get in the way, making it difficult to reach higher speeds and increasing fuel consumption.
Sources familiar with the smuggling operation described a dangerous route in which at least one ship leaving Hong Kong had lost communication with its contacts.
“People kept searching and searching through all the channels … But the fact is, they were lost,” said one of the people.
There were no records of such trips and Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.
The protesters, some of whom have reached Taiwan, say they are grateful for Tsai’s promises of help.
“Taiwan is not just a place where you can take a break. It is where you can gain strength to fight against the totalitarian government of China,” said one of the people familiar with the smuggling operation.
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