《TAIPEI TIMES》 NPP calls for Tsai to make clear stance on HK arrests

By Wu Su-wei / Staff reporter

The New Power Party （NPP） yesterday urged President Tsai Ing-wen’s （蔡英文） administration to make clear its stance on the Hong Kong police’s arrests of 14 pro-democracy activists, including “father of democracy” Martin Lee （李柱銘）, and offer assistance to prevent any possible infringement of their basic rights.

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The NPP also urged the Hong Kong government and Beijing to exercise self-discipline and refrain from capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic to step up their political purge and quash dissent.

The Tsai administration should call on the international community to join it in condemning the Hong Kong government’s abuse of power in persecuting pro-democracy activists, the NPP said in a statement.

The Tsai administration should make clear its position on the incident and be ready to provide any assistance that the activists might need in the face of possible human rights breaches, it said.

The Legislative Yuan should consider passing a refugee act and amending Article 18 of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau （香港澳門關係條例） to clearly define procedures when offering assistance to residents of the two territories who have been subjected to political persecution by their government, it added.

Separately, the Mainland Affairs Council said that the arrests were aimed at causing a chilling effect, which would not help to de-escalate tensions in the territory.

The Hong Kong government should heed the appeals of Hong Kong residents, respond to their expectations and guarantee them the right of assembly granted by the territory’s Basic Law, the council said.

Encouraging diversity, rather than quashing dissent, is the way to ensure long-term prosperity and stability in the territory, it said.

Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES