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In Taiwan, free speech is enjoyed by all, but with that freedom comes the reality that some want to take it away, especially with violence and intimidation. On Monday, veteran media personality Yaita Akio was suddenly punched by a Chinese man who had come to Taiwan as a Hongkonger, and on Tuesday the Presidential Office condemned the incident, saying in Taiwan violence like this is never permissible.

Yaita Akio
Media personality
If they sent someone here, it’s because they’re hoping to get me to shut up. It’s as if they’re saying they can sanction me from abroad. This is something akin to Lam Wing-kee’s red-paint attack or young exiled Hong Kong activists now living in Taiwan. For China, they use criminals in Hong Kong who come to Taiwan to commit crimes before fleeing. They’ve found success at creating an environment of fear, and so I think this time what happened to me is an extension of that.

Hsiao Bi-khim
Vice President
We absolutely do not condone violence. For incidences like this, I’m confident that they serve as a warning sign for Taiwan. We need to defend freedom of speech, so, going forward, we all need to work even harder.

Karen Kuo
Presidential Office spokesperson
Around the world, China is stalking, harassing, and using violence in order to suppress a variety of voices. When it comes to clamping down on free speech, Taiwan is a democratic society governed by the rule of law, so, for our legal system, situations like this cross the line, and therefore this kind of behavior will not be permitted.

Police found that the Chinese man surnamed Liao had entered Taiwan with a Hong Kong passport on July 2. On July 5, Liao went to the hotel to check out the area’s surroundings. On July 6, Liao, who knew exactly when Yaita Akio’s speech would end, attacked the veteran media personality and then fled to the airport. Someone revealed that the suspect has a criminal record in Hong Kong, so it seems like he was motivated by someone else to come to Taiwan to commit this crime. Yet many questions remain unanswered, such as where did he go between July 2 and July 5? Where did he stay? And, was someone else in Taiwan offering support to him while he was here?

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