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Taiwan protests to UN after citizen denied entry to Geneva office
The flags of member nations fly outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Sept
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The flags of member nations fly outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Sept. 18, 2007. (AP/Mary Altaffer) (AP/Mary Altaffer)
The flags of member nations fly outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Sept. 18, 2007. (AP/Mary Altaffer)
Taiwan has lodged a strong protest with the United Nations after a Taiwanese national was reportedly refused entry to the UN office in Geneva even though she had presented the necessary documents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
'We felt a deep regret over the reported incident and we have to lodge a severe protest over the UN's denial of our national from entering the office,' Michael Hsu, director-general of MOFA's Department of International Organisations, told reporters.
Hsu made the comments in response to a complaint made by a Taiwanese citizen who said she was recently denied entry to the Palais des Nations even though she had presented her Republic of China. passport and national ID as required by regulations.
On her Facebook page, the women surnamed Tsai said the incident took place on Tuesday while she was visiting Geneva and tried to enter the UN office for a tour.
The receptionists at the entrance, however, denied her access even though she presented her R.O.C. passport and ID card on the grounds that the UN does not recognize the R.O.C as a sovereign state, according to Tsai.
Tsai said the receptionists stressed that Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and that she needed to present a PRC passport or ID before she would be allowed to enter.
Saying that she had successfully entered the office by holding a R.O.C. passport before, Tsai expressed anger in her post regarding the UN's 'discrimination' toward Taiwan.
According to information available at the UN Visitor Centre's website, all visitors to the UN over 16 years of age are only required to present a government-issued photo identification, including a passports, drivers licenses or national identify cards.
Happens occasionally since R.O.C Lost UN Seat
Commenting on the case, Hsu expressed regret over the case.
He said Tsai did not report the case to MOFA but its office in Geneva immediately lodged a protest to the U.N. office in Geneva over the incident after learning about it from local news.
In response, the UN also confirmed that a Taiwanese citizen was denied entry to the Palais des Nation on Tuesday, without further elaboration.
The MOFA official said that similar cases have occurred occasionally ever since the R.O.C. lost its UN seat in 1971.
But he stressed that R.O.C. government has never accepted UN's unfair treatment to Taiwanese citizens and has continued to lodge a protest with the U.N. every time similar incident occurs.
According to a previous mutual consensus, Hsu said that the UN normally allows Taiwanese citizens to enter its office in Geneva and headquarters in New York as long as they show two photo IDs.
The UN is not always consistent in carrying out the policy, however, as sometimes Taiwanese would be denied entry by the UN even though they hold two photo IDs issued by the R.O.C. government as with the case of Tsai, he noted.
The ministry will continue to lodge a protest to the U.N. so that it can be consistent in dealing with Taiwanese visitors so that such incidents will not happen again, he added. (k)(++++)
