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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 HK law changes needed: NPP
From left, Causeway Bay Books manager Lam Wing-kei, and New Power Party legislators Chiu Hsien-chih and Chen Jiau-hua hold signs at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA
‘HIGH ALERT’: Nathan Law said that Taiwan must bolster its defenses to prevent Chinese infiltration and make it harder for Beijing to carry out its ‘united front’ work
By Wu Su-wei, Jake Chung and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer
The legislature should swiftly amend the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau （香港澳門關係條例） to improve Taiwan’s capability to help Hong Kongers, New Power Party （NPP） lawmakers said yesterday.
The call was issued following a massive crackdown on Wednesday on Hong Kong democracy advocates, resulting in 53 arrests.
The situation in Hong Kong has grown more dire since the passage of the National Security Law in the territory, NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih （邱顯智） told a news conference alongside NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua （陳椒華） and Causeway Bay Books manager Lam Wing-kei （林榮基）.
Taiwan and Hong Kong both suffer from Chinese oppression, and supporting Hong Kong is the equivalent of supporting Taiwan, Chiu said, adding that Taiwan should step up measures and establish clear systems on how to support Hong Kongers.
Aside from calling for amendment to Article 18 of the act, which would clarify assistance systems for Hong Kongers, Chiu called for an additional clause under Article 60 of the act to be drafted to forbid Chinese Communist Party （CCP） and Hong Kong officials who have contravened human rights from entering Taiwan, as well as freezing the assets of such individuals in Taiwan.
What used to be legal under the Hong Kong Basic Law is now illegal under the National Security Law, which means that any vote against motions lodged in Hong Kong’s district councils or the legislative council would be a breach of the legislation, Lam said.
“There will be only one way for Hong Kongers to exercise their voting rights, and that will be to vote for a party supporting the CCP,” he said.
Hong Kong requires the assistance of all democratic countries, he said, adding that Taiwan should be on high alert, as it could be China’s next target.
Separately, Hong Kong democracy advocate Nathan Law （羅冠聰） called on Taipei to ease asylum rules after Bejing’s mass arrests in the territory.
Law, who lives in self-imposed exile in the UK, made the remarks via a video call to a news conference held by the Hong Kong Outlanders and other civic groups in Taipei.
Taiwan’s outpouring of support for democracy since the protests in Hong Kong has helped many young activists, he said, adding that the nation’s resilient democracy is a threat to China’s totalitarian government.
The breadth and scale of the latest arrests, which included moderates, has caused pessimism among Hong Kongers, he said.
People charged with sedition are facing life sentences, Law said.
Taiwan occupies an important position in the global struggle against the CCP and hopefully Taipei would make its political asylum process less strict, which would help Hong Kongers, he said.
In addition, Taiwan must bolster its defenses against Chinese infiltration and make it harder for Beijing to carry out “united front” work, he said.
Democracy campaigner Sunny Cheung （張崑陽）, who also spoke at the Outlanders news conference by teleconference, said that the passage of the national security legislation has resulted in unprecedented pressure on Hong Kong.
It was unimaginable that Hong Kong’s politicians would have to seek asylum, but he is going into exile along with many of his acquaintances, including Law, Cheung said.
The world needs to respond forcefully to China’s crackdown in Hong Kong and take measures to counter its penetration of other societies via economic power, he said, adding that the past has shown that Taiwan is under the threat of Beijing-directed “red capital.”
The EU should rethink its China trade deal, which might embolden the regime in its repression of Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, he said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
