Another mainland Chinese tourist has been deported after he was caught destroying a Lennon Wall in Taichung. Lennon Walls have become a part of Taiwan’s landscape as a way for people to show their support for Hong Kong protesters.
The 35-year-old Chinese man, surnamed Hu, was arrested after he was caught taking down posters on the Lennon Wall at an underpass in Taichung on Sunday. He was in Taiwan on a business visa and was planning to stay in Taiwan for a week. But he got deported by the authorities on Monday and is banned from returning for five years.
Hu was also ordered to pay NT$30,000 to charity and receive instruction on the rule of law before he left. He received the 30-minute instruction and admitted his wrongdoing before he was deported on Monday.
Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Tuesday that he welcomes Chinese tourists to come to Taiwan to enjoy and experience Taiwan’s democracy. He hopes they can bring democracy back to China. But the premier also said he hopes Chinese visitors do not come to ruin Taiwan’s democracy. Taiwan is ruled by law and the deportation was done according to the law.
There have been a number of similar incidents on university campuses. In mid-October, the Ministry of Education sent a letter to universities to urge them to remind Chinese students that acts of vandalism or violence could lead to the cancellation of their entry permits.