Taiwan deported Cheng Wanjun, who described himself as a former China Central Television host, to Thailand on Wednesday after officials found him ineligible to seek asylum following his stay at Taoyuan International Airport.
Focus Taiwan, citing unnamed sources, reported that Cheng arrived from Thailand on Monday with Beijing as his next stop but did not board the onward flight. He stayed at the airport and appealed for help in a video posted online, the outlet reported. Focus Taiwan said the agency assigned him a separate area, provided meals and somewhere to rest, and limited his ability to move around.
In the video, Cheng said he received a six-year prison sentence after criticism of “a ruler who loses his country” led authorities to act against him in 2019. He said that after prison he had to live abroad to publish writings he had created during his sentence.
Cheng said the Thailand office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had placed his case in its top risk category but could not assure his safety. He said concern about renewed persecution from Chinese authorities drove his decision to travel to Taiwan.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said it consulted other agencies, including the Mainland Affairs Council, before the deportation, which it said was carried out under the Immigration Act. The agency said Cheng was injured while resisting boarding and that officials took measures under the law to protect flight safety.
