Radical protesters in Hong Kong block a road and assault police. Their behavior was widely condemned. Photo: Fan Lingzhi/GT

While busy inciting and participating in a series of riots and other illegal activities in Hong Kong over the past two months, radical forces were seemingly also trying to find themselves a hiding place outside of Hong Kong, as reports revealed that some 30 individuals have already escaped to Taiwan. 

Analysts believe that the island of Taiwan openly shields members of mobs, proving that Taiwan has become the sheltered paradise for Hong Kong criminals. 

According to Hong Kong media, several radicals and Hong Kong secessionists have fled to Taiwan. Among them were secessionist Joe Yeung Yat-long, the former president of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University student union, and Wayne Chan Ka-kui, convener of "pro-independence" alliance Students Independence Union, who jointly launched the siege of the Hong Kong police headquarters on June 26. 

Yeung was arrested the next day for allegedly assaulting police, after he led protesters to surround the gates of police headquarters. Just two days after his arrest, he jumped bail and escaped to Taiwan where he sought asylum.

Yeung continued contact with secessionists in Hong Kong after he fled to Taipei, and he even organized several further riots on Telegram. Yeung allegedly "guided" his group members to storm the Legislative Council building on July 1 and steal hard drives from computers in the building, when he was already in hiding in Taipei, according to Wen Wei Po. 

Yeung and other secessionists have long been eyeing Taiwan as their escape route. Yeung had secretly visited Taiwan to meet with secessionists there in recent years, and had already paved his way to Taiwan.

Cheng Wai-shing, who followed Yeung in several riots and even pretended to be a journalist to escape arrest, also went to Taiwan to seek political asylum although he was turned away in mid-July by Taiwanese authorities. 

After returning to Hong Kong, he continued to appear on the frontlines of several protests in a high-profile manner, which was expected to pave way for his reapplication for political asylum in Taipei.

Brian Leung Kai-ping, who provoked the storming of Hong Kong's Legislative Council on July 1, fled to Taiwan the next morning.

After the storming of the Legislative Council, several Hong Kong secessionists posted on social media that they could help those in need flee to Taiwan to "stay away from trouble." It's believed that more will seek help to flee Hong Kong. 

Taiwanese authorities call these asylum-seekers "friends from Hong Kong," and said that related departments would deal with the situation based on "humanity." 

However, Taiwan is not the ultimate destination for these individuals, as they plan to urge the US to pass a so-called "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act," so that they can flee to the US eventually. 

Tung Chee-hwa, former Hong Kong Special Administration Region chief executive, said that there is reason to believe that Taiwan and the US are the masterminds behind the current Hong Kong disturbance, which escalated quickly and was well organized. 

Tung made the remarks during a luncheon organized by the Our Hong Kong Foundation on Wednesday.

Tung said that foreign politicians and anti-China forces have been seeking to destroy the relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland, with the ultimate purpose of making Hong Kong a battleground for international games, a base against the central government and a pawn to contain China. He called on Hong Kong residents to remain reasonable and to draw a line between themselves and violence. 

Global Times