TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Rights groups on Monday called on the government to establish a legal asylum system, warning that China's newly enacted ethnic unity law could be used to target Taiwanese and other critics abroad.
At a press conference the groups condemned the legislation, which took effect July 1, per CNA. Speakers tore up red paper signs bearing the law's name in protest, arguing that some provisions could be applied extraterritorially.
Chang Ching-ju (張靜如), an attorney and executive committee member of the Judicial Reform Foundation, said Article 21 identifies strengthening Taiwanese identification with the "Chinese nation" as a state objective, effectively imposing an identity on Taiwan's population. She said Article 10 also imposes an obligation on Taiwanese to "safeguard national unity."
Chang said Article 63 allows Chinese authorities to pursue legal responsibility against overseas organizations or individuals accused of undermining "ethnic unity," CNA reported. She said the foundation is studying whether Taiwan's existing laws adequately protect citizens from cross-border jurisdiction or enforcement and expects to complete a report by the end of the year.
Chang urged the government to establish a legal framework for refugees and asylum seekers, rather than relying on case-by-case humanitarian assistance, so Taiwan can become "a genuine safe haven for human rights."
Taiwan Association for Human Rights Senior Researcher Shih Yi-hsiang (施逸翔) said the law was drafted in a manner inconsistent with legislative procedures in free and democratic countries, per UpMedia. He said the concept of ethnic unity itself conflicts with international human rights standards and warned that the law could affect not only people in China but also Chinese citizens overseas, Taiwanese, Hong Kong residents, and people from other countries.
