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Macau to strict travel permits for Taiwanese

HONG KONG: Macau's Chief Executive, Edmund Ho has said Taiwanese nationals would not be able to enter the territory with Taiwanese passports in the future, according to the local press on Sunday.

Ho said at a public function on Saturday that Taiwanese passports would no longer be valid as a travel document for entering Macau after its return to China last month, the Sing Tao Daily news reported.

The Macau Special Administrative Region government cannot compromise its principles despite the importance of Taiwanese visitors to Macau's tourism industry, Ho said.

The government is studying new entry measures for Taiwanese nationals and hopes to keep them flexible and convenient, Ho added.

William Li, the head of the Taipei Economic, Trade and Cultural Centre in Macau, said on Saturday that passports were suitable documents to enter Macau and rejected the use of Chinese permits, Sing Tao reported.

The permits are issued by mainland authorities for Taiwanese who want to visit China.

A row erupted over arrangements for Taiwanese visiting Macau after Ho encouraged them to visit with such documents on the first day of Macau's reversion to Chinese rule.

Taiwanese officials have said they would retaliate if Macau tightened arrangements for Taiwanese nationals travelling to Macau. AFP