Taiwan scholar Tsai Chin-shu returns after mainland sentence
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Taiwan scholar Tsai Chin-shu (蔡金樹) said on Facebook on September 18 that he had returned, adding in the comments that he was safe and thanking people for their concern. The post was his first update on the account in eight years, after he had disappeared from public view following a trip to the mainland in July 2018. Mainland authorities had said he was investigated for activities endangering national security, and later disclosed that he had been convicted of espionage and stripped of political rights for four years. Mainland state media had also linked him to a 2020 television programme on alleged Taiwan spy cases.
Key Points
- Tsai wrote “I’m back” on Facebook on September 18 and later said in the comments that he was doing well and appreciated public concern.
- Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation said in September 2019 that Tsai had gone missing after travelling to the mainland for an event in July 2018.
- The Taiwan Affairs Office later confirmed he had been placed under lawful review in July 2018 for suspected activities endangering national security.
- In September 2023, the Taiwan Affairs Office said Tsai had been convicted of espionage and deprived of political rights for four years
- Reports cited by the two outlets said he was 67, had served as head of cross-strait civic groups in southern Taiwan, and had taught at several colleges.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers who follow cross-strait affairs, the case is a reminder that academic and exchange activities can become entangled with national security enforcement on the mainland. Tsai’s return also revives questions over what happens after release in such cases, especially after reports that he had completed his prison term in 2023 but remained unable to leave immediately.