Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Two Japanese citizens could be deported for attending an anti-nuclear rally in Taipei Saturday, as Taiwan officials said the pair’s participation in the protest was contrary to the stated purpose of their visit to Taiwan.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Sunday it will assess the police video footage of the protest and will decide whether or not to deport Ayako Oga and Saeko Uno.
Thousands of people took to the streets Saturday to urge the government to stop construction of Taiwan’s fourth nuclear power plant and pursue a more sustainable energy policy.
Among them were Oga and Uno, who are both from Fukushima Prefecture where the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused severe damage to a nuclear power plant and led to the worst nuclear crisis in Japan’s history.
The two Japanese citizens gave remarks and sang a song at the rally, but police said this was against regulations as the two women were in Taiwan on tourist visas.
City police warned the pair that they risked breaking the law, but Oga and Uno, in their late 30s, remained at the rally.
The NIA said their actions were in violation of Article 29 of the Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Act, which bars foreign nationals from taking part in activities or work that do not match the stated purpose of their visit to Taiwan.
However, an NIA official said that the Japanese nationals’ anti-nuclear stance was understandable in light of the disaster that had occurred in their hometown.
Based on human rights considerations and the video evidence produced by the city police, the NIA will decide whether or not to deport the two Japanese, the official said.
“We will not force them to leave the country simply because they said a few words on stage (at the rally),” the official added. (By Johnson Sun and Alex Jiang) ENDITEM /pc
2011/05/01 14:25:52
Source: Focus Taiwan
A most civilized approach if they do as they say and allow them to stay.