China confirms detention of Taiwanese pro-democracy activist
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Mar 31, 2017
Taiwanese NGO worker Lee Ming-che disappeared ten days ago while traveling to mainland China via Macau.
"I received words from the [Taiwanese] government late [Monday] night confirming that Lee Ming-che has been detained by the security agencies of the Chinese government", his wife, Lee Ching-yu, said from Taipei. The Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council confirmed on Wednesday that Lee Ming-che had been detained and was under investigation after he entered the mainland on March 19.
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She said in addition to seeking help from the Taiwanese authorities, friends and family have also sought help from global human right organisations, including Amnesty worldwide.
While China has rarely been forthcoming with information about alleged national security crimes, Lee's case could be further complicated by the fact that China cut off its already limited contacts with Tsai's government last June.
Police can also blacklist NGOs deemed guilty of national security-related crimes like subversion or separatism, although definitions of such crimes remain vague.
But Lee's family will request Chinese authorities to allow them to visit him, according to family spokeswoman Cheng Hsui-chuan. China is also urged to quickly arrange for Lee's family and lawyer to visit him to safeguard his rights, Hsu said.
China regards national sovereignty, security, and unity as unquestionable national interests, and Chinese leadership has never taken military action off the table as an option for reunification.
On Tuesday last week, Tsai wrote on Twitter that she hopes young Taiwanese and Japanese politicians will work hand-in-hand to deepen bilateral exchanges.
Lee, a former employee of Taiwan's now-ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Lee had been sharing "Taiwan's democratic experiences" with his Chinese friends online for many years and often mailed books to them, according to the Taiwan Association for Human Rights.
