cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/54827829

Taiwan has blamed China for pressuring the Kenyan government to deny Taiwanese scholars entry to attend a global oceans conference and for deporting them

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Taiwan accused Kenya on Wednesday of human rights abuses against its nationals attending a global oceans conference in Mombasa and blamed China for exerting pressure on the East African country.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the scholars’ passports and mobile phones were confiscated and they were detained for more than 20 hours before being deported.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei said it “strongly protests and condemns China’s pressure on the Kenyan government to refuse Taiwanese scholars’ attendance at the international ocean academic exchange conference, as well as the barbaric acts of confiscating passports, mobile phones, and restricting personal and communication freedoms — actions that violate human rights and international norms.”

[…]

Kenya defended its decision to deport the Taiwanese nationals. Foreign Ministry Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said his country’s foreign policy “recognizes only one China.”

“Any person purporting to hold a Taiwanese passport would ordinarily not be allowed through our borders for lacking proper documentation and would not in any event be part of a formal state meeting convened by Kenya government,” Sing’oei added.

Kenya is hosting the annual oceans conference, which focuses on addressing critical ocean issues, including climate change, biodiversity and pollution.

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Meanwhile, Taiwan’s foreign minister says Chinese pressure on countries over the island is a ‘new normal’.

Attempts by China to exert pressure on other countries to limit Taiwan’s access to international events has become “the new normal,” the island’s foreign minister said Wednesday.

Lin Chia-Lung was speaking after Taiwanese delegates were detained in Kenya and denied access to an ocean conference, reportedly due to Chinese pressure on the organizers, according to Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry.

In the latest incident, the two Taiwanese delegates to the Our Ocean Conference were denied access to the country while their passports and mobile phones were confiscated, and they were detained for more than 20 hours before being allowed to leave the country, the ministry said.

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