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DPP’s Chen Chu denied
entry at Havana airport
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who was appointed acting chairperson of the
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday, was denied entry to Cuba the
same day when her visiting delegation arrived at Havana airport.
Neither the Greater Kaohsiung government nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was
able to explain why Chen was unable to obtain a landing visa at Cuban customs.
The nation’s embassy in the Dominican Republic, which handles affairs related to
Cuba, where Taiwan does not have a representative office or diplomatic mission,
had contacted its Cuban counterpart seeking an explanation, Central and South
American Affairs Director-General Wu Chin-mu (吳進木) said.
“The Cuban embassy in the Dominican Republic said it had no idea why Chen was
denied a visa, but it has promised to look into the matter and get back to
Taiwan,” Wu said.
Wu said he could not remember a similar incident happening to a Taiwanese in the
past.
Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), a spokesperson for the Greater Kaohsiung Government, said
Chen had applied for a landing visa in an individual capacity, as had members of
her delegation.
“We do not know why the mayor was denied entry. Immigration officers did not
offer any reasons. Our guess is that this could be due to prior media coverage
of the visit before their arrival, but there could be other reasons,” Lai said
by telephone.
Lai dismissed any connection between the incident and the appointment of Chen as
acting DPP chairperson.
“The incident occurred before the DPP’s Central Executive Committee made the
appointment,” he said.
Chen is to temporarily take the helm of the party on March 1, when DPP
Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) resigns after taking responsibility for her loss
in the presidential election to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Jan. 14.
The election of the party’s next chairperson is scheduled for May 27.
After being denied entry, Chen and four members of her group took the next
flight to Mexico to make a transit stop, before flying on to Los Angeles to meet
with Taiwanese in the city.
Deputy Kaohsiung Mayor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) led the rest of the delegation,
mostly officials from the local government’s Agricultural Department and farmers
representatives, on their scheduled trip, mainly to observe organic agriculture
in Cuba.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson James Chang (章計平) said the ministry had
immediately offered assistance in arranging a return trip for Chen after it
learned of the incident.
Chen is expected to arrive at Kaohsiung International Airport at 8:30am today.
According to Cuban visa regulations, Republic of China passport holders can
enter the country without applying for a visa in advance, but they are required
to buy a US$15 tourist card after they enter the country with a landing visa.
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