The presidential office said that it will process former President Ma Ying-jeou’s application to attend an event in Hong Kong. That was the word from Presidential Office Spokesman Alex Huang on Wednesday.
Ma has been invited by the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) to give a speech in English during its journalism awards ceremony on June 15. Ma will speak about his perspective on cross-strait relations and the situation in East Asia.
Huang said that Ma’s application will be processed according to procedure. Taiwan’s national security laws require that people who have had access to classified information apply to the Presidential Office for approval of any trips outside of Taiwan. This will be Ma’s first trip outside of Taiwan since he stepped down as president last month.