Taipei, March 20 (CNA) A Taiwanese traveler's problems with Canadian officials were caused by cultural and language differences, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Saturday, but added that the government had called for better attitudes from Canadian border officials.
Lee Chun-hua, 50, was denied entry at Vancouver International Airport March 10 and repatriated to Taiwan, where she wrote a letter to the MOFA and several media outlets complaining about the incident.
Bombarded by local media and legislators, the ministry called a press conference Saturday hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy C.T. Yang.
Yang said that his ministry had handled Lee's complaint promptly, contacting Canadian authorities in Taiwan and ordering Taiwan's representative offices in Ottawa and Vancouver to look into the matter.
Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang told the media that President Ma Ying-jeou had called Yang to voice his concern over the issue.
Lo said Ma instructed the MOFA to seek more information from the Canadian authorities about what really happened and ordered that efforts must be made to safeguard the dignity and human rights of Taiwan's people.
Ma said the MOFA should file a protest if the Taiwanese national received unfair treatment at the Canadian airport and if the Canadian side could not give a reasonable explanation for treating the traveler in such a way, Lo noted.
According to media reports, Lee was traveling alone to Canada and had planned to stay 15 days. Upon arrival, she was told by immigration officials that her visa had expired and she would be deported. Lee was asked to sign a document agreeing to voluntarily leave Canada or face detention for two to three days pending further investigation.
After Lee said she was worried the incident would cause her problems traveling in the future, the ministry negotiated with the Canadian border and immigration agency and requested that no records of the visit be kept, Yang said.
Yang said that the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) , Canada's authority in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, agreed to the request and said Lee was welcome to visit Canada again. The office also promised to help Lee with her visa application process should she wish to reapply.
Yang urged Canadian law enforcement officials to adopt a better attitude when dealing with foreign visitors and advised Taiwanese travelers to honestly and correctly answer questions from foreign immigration officials when traveling abroad.
Yang said he didn't believe the case would have an impact on Canada's decision on visa-free privileges for Taiwan's citizens, which reports have said will be granted this year.
"There are 150,000 Taiwanese who visit Canada every year. Cases and misunderstandings like this happen once in a while in every country, " he said.
Yang said that if needed, the ministry will help Lee -- who is reportedly seeking compensation from the Canadian government -- with further negotiations. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc