Kenya defends deportation of Taiwanese to China

The authorities in Taiwan have accused Kenya of using guns and tear gas to force 37 Taiwanese on to a plane bound for mainland China. But Kenya defended itself, saying the people were in Kenya illegally and were being sent back to where they had come from. “They came from China and we took them […]

The authorities in Taiwan have accused Kenya of using guns and tear gas to force 37 Taiwanese on to a plane bound for mainland China.
But Kenya defended itself, saying the people were in Kenya illegally and were being sent back to where they had come from.
“They came from China and we took them to China. Usually when you go to another country illegally, you are taken back to your last port of departure,” Kenyan Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka said.
Kenya does not have official relations with Taiwan and considers the island part of China, in line with Beijing’s position.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Kenyan police had forced 22 Taiwanese citizens, arrested on suspicion of fraud, to board a plane bound for China on Tuesday, despite protests from John Chen, Taiwan’s representative to South Africa.
China has praised Kenya for supporting its “one-China policy”.