Three Chinese tourists go missing in Taiwan
TAIPEI - THREE Chinese tourists have gone missing in Taiwan, an immigration official said on Thursday, only days after the two sides launched direct flights to boost tourism and thaw cross-strait relations.
The women arrived in Taipei from Thailand on July 3 and have not been seen since leaving their hotel late on Tuesday, said an official at Taiwan's National Immigration Agency.
Their disappearance has highlighted the problems of increased cross-strait tourism less than a week after 700 mainland holidaymakers arrived here on the first regular direct flights between China and the self-ruled island in nearly six decades.
Authorities fear some Chinese tourists will try to stay on illegally.
Including the three women, 27 have gone missing since Taiwan conditionally allowed visitors from the mainland in 2002, according to the immigration agency.
Lawmaker Lin Shu-fen of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party said Taiwan's government was now 'paying the price' for a failure to prepare adequately for the influx.
Taiwan previously imposed a daily quota of 1,000 Chinese visitors who were required to make stopovers in a third destination.
The missing tourists will be banned from visiting the island for the next five years, while the local agency that arranged their stay will face a fine of 600,000 Taiwan dollars (S$26,835) if they are not found by July 13.
Taiwan banned direct trade and transport links following its split from the communist mainland in 1949, but the election of Beijing-friendly Ma Ying-jeou in March opened the door to warmer ties.
The two sides held their first direct talks in a decade last month, which led to the flights agreement, putting an end to the time-consuming stopovers travellers were forced to make for years in Hong Kong or elsewhere. -- AFP
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