Wife of detained Taiwan activist to begin Beijing search

Lee Ching-yu (third from right) holds up a photo of her missing husband, Taiwanese pro-democracy activist Lee Ming-che

The wife of a Taiwanese political activist and former Democratic Progressive Party member, who went missing last month, has said she will travel to Beijing to search for her missing husband.

Lee Ming-che, who traveled from Macau to Guangdong Province was detained in China on March 19 and has not been heard from since. He was traveling to mainland China to seek medical treatment for his mother-in-law, according to his colleagues at the Taipei City community college.

Last week, the Chinese government acknowledged that he has been detained on suspicion of being involved in “activities harmful to national security.” It remains unclear whether he was detained in Macau or while crossing the border with Zhuhai.

It is thought that China’s security services may have been alerted to Lee after he used the social media platform WeChat to discuss China-Taiwan relations. Lee is reported to have used the platform to “teach” users about China-Taiwan relations under the current government of President Tsai Ing-wen.

On Tuesday, Lee’s wife, Lee Ching- yu, said she had booked a one-way ticket to Beijing, departing on April 10, to investigate the whereabouts of Ming-che. According to a report from Taiwan News, the motivation behind her trip is the fact that Beijing is not divulging any information on the matter.

Ching-yu says she will search for her husband – or information of where he is being detained – in Beijing, even though no information has been released that suggests he is being held in the capital.

She said that she had delayed the flight so as not to coincide with Ching Ming Festival at the start of this month or Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States later today.

Ching-yu has been in communication with Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation, neither of which has been able to draft a plan to resolve the situation, she said.

Ching-yu plans to visit the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, legal prosecutors and other agencies that might be able to help with her case. She emphasized that her trip to China is not intended to create trouble in the city or protest.

After Lee Ming-che was detained, immigration officials in Macau and Guangdong also refused to release information regarding   his detention.

Amnesty International has commented on the disappearance, saying that Lee’s detention raises fears that China is broadening its crackdown on legitimate activism. DB