A Chinese dissident who has been living in a Taiwan airport since last Friday (22) begged the United States or Canada to grant him asylum after fleeing Thailand, saying he fears being deported back to China.
Chen Siming, known for his annual commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, which is heavily censored and remains a major political taboo in China, told CNN who fled China in July after coming under increasing pressure and persecution from authorities.
It has been commemorating the anniversary of the massacre – which saw troops and tanks forcibly clear a Beijing square full of students and pro-democracy protesters – since 2017, both through street demonstrations and on social media.
These activities had previously resulted in Chen being penalized or administratively detained, but he said Beijing’s control had increased significantly in recent years.
Dissidents and civil society activists have suffered an increasing crackdown under leader Xi Jinping, China’s most assertive leader in a generation.
Chen said he received daily calls from the police, who would come to his house if he didn’t answer. Other times, authorities asked him to report to the police station, apparently arbitrarily.
He told CNN that he “felt sad, angry and scared” after receiving the call on July 21 when police told him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
After returning from the police station, he packed his clothes and fled, traveling through China until he reached the southern border with Laos, a common but risky land route for those trying to flee.
When night fell, he crossed the border into the mountains of Laos, he told CNN – and in early August, it crossed the Mekong River and entered Thailand.
While in Thailand, Chen explained that he registered as a refugee with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, describing an expedited process – but still did not feel safe, fearing that his status did not protect him from being detained by law enforcement, police or security officials. immigration.
The Southeast Asian kingdom does not recognize the concept of asylum and instead subcontracts refugee claims to the United Nations, which seeks to resolve successful claimants in other countries. Many people spend years in Thailand before moving on to other places.
Many Chinese dissidents do not feel safe in Thailand, given the government’s often friendly links with Beijing.
Finally, Chen also decided to flee Thailand – and landed in Tawan, with a stopover in Guangzhou. Upon arriving at Taoyuan International Airport, he posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) saying: “To avoid the political oppression of the Chinese Communist Party, I have now come to Taiwan.”
“I hope to receive political asylum from the USA or Canada. I ask my friends to appeal to the Taiwanese government not to send me back to China”, he quoted, adding the caption: “I am forced to be illegally imprisoned here”.
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Dissenters fleeing abroad
Taiwan is an autonomous democratic island, with 24 million inhabitants, which the Communist Party, in power in Beijing, claims as its territory, despite never having controlled it.
In recent years, it has also increasingly been seen as a safe haven for dissidents fleeing China, including pro-democracy protesters and Hong Kong leaders, as Beijing cracks down on the city.
However, Taiwan also does not have any local laws that recognize the concept of asylum and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) does not operate there.
Shortly after posting his video, Chen was taken in for questioning by Taiwan’s immigration authorities and the Mainland Affairs Council, he explained to CNN . He’s still at the airport.
The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council told CNN last Monday (25): “Regarding the issue of Chinese dissident Chen Siming being trapped at Taoyuan International Airport, the government is currently working on it and is not able to share relevant details.”
In 2019, two Chinese dissidents spent months living in Taoyuan before their cases were finally heard.
The UNHCR declined to comment on Chen’s case. A CNN contacted the Taiwan Affairs Office in China to take a stance on the issue.
While Chen waits for his case to be reviewed, he hopes for eventual asylum in the West, whether in Canada or the United States.
“Given the current political climate in China, there is no space for me to operate there,” he explained. “I hope the US government will support the Chinese people and help end the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party, so that China can have democracy.”
His dramatic journey joins other cases in recent years that have highlighted the dangers for Chinese dissidents seeking refuge in Southeast Asia.
For decades, critics of the Chinese Communist Party have fled to Thailand – but this has also become riskier in recent years.
In 2015, two members of a small opposition political party – Jiang Yefei and Dong Guangping – were arrested by Thai police.
Several weeks later, despite protests from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the two men were extradited to China and arrested.
After Dong’s extradition, his wife and daughter fled Thailand for Canada.
Most recently, in August this year, prominent lawyer Lu Siwei was arrested in Laos while traveling to the United States, facing the threat of deportation back to China.
Laos lies across China’s southwestern border and has been a common, if risky, exit point for Chinese dissidents trying to leave the country.
Lu was known for navigating China’s criminal system, taking on sensitive cases for years – until his license was revoked by authorities in 2021 for representing one of 12 activists who were intercepted by the Chinese coast guard at sea en route to Taiwan while trying to flee. .
News of his detention also prompted dozens of human rights groups to sign a petition calling on Lao authorities to release Lu and halt deportation proceedings, citing “the high likelihood of torture and other ill-treatment” if Lu were returned to China. .
Chen has also received support from activist communities since his arrival in Taiwan.
Wang Dan, a student leader during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and who has since lived in exile, expressed on social media on Saturday (23) that the world was “very worried” about Chen’s asylum request.
He added that he has joined forces to help Chen and believes there will be a good result.
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Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
