0125 African Swine Fever"First Case of Refusing Entry for Non-Payment of Fine! Chinese Traveler Illegally Brings Pork Sausage, Refuses to Pay 200,000 yuan Fine and Is Directly Deported

To keep the African swine fever virus out of the country, the Council of Agriculture announced on the 24th that any traveler from an African swine fever infected area who illegally brings pork products into Taiwan and refuses to pay the 200,000 yuan fine will be denied entry. Tonight (the 25th) the first such case took effect! A Chinese traveler who came to Taiwan via Hong Kong was caught bringing pork sausages through customs in violation of the rules; quarantine officers seized the items, and the traveler immediately stated a refusal to pay the fine, was denied entry by the immigration authorities, and was placed on a five-year watch list.

Chinese Traveler Fails to Get Through, Refuses to Pay Fine and Is Immediately Deported

The Chinese traveler who came to Taiwan from Hong Kong arrived at Kaohsiung Xiaogang Airport at around 6 p.m. on Dragonair flight KA454, carrying 0.12 kg of ham sausage containing chicken and pork without voluntarily declaring it. The item was seized by Kaohsiung Customs of the Ministry of Finance Customs Administration and referred to the Kaohsiung Branch of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine for a fine of NT$200,000, and the ham sausage was retained for testing. Because the traveler refused to pay the fine, entry was denied under the new measures, and the case was transferred to the National Immigration Agency's Border Affairs Corps for deportation.

Tsai Ying-chieh, captain of the Kaohsiung Border Affairs Team of the National Immigration Agency's Border Affairs Corps, said that when the traveler was found to have violated the rules and faced a 200,000 yuan fine, they immediately said they were unwilling to pay, but the process was peaceful with no conflict, and that same evening they took Dragonair flight KA457 at 21:15, returning to Hong Kong at their own expense. Until the fine is paid in full, the traveler will not be allowed to enter Taiwan again, and will also be on the watch list for the next five years; even if the fine is paid and they enter again, they will be specially screened.

For Those Who Previously Violated the Rules, Did Not Pay the Fine, and Have Already Left the Country, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Will Continue to Pursue Payment

The African Swine Fever Central Emergency Operation Center said that illegally bringing pork products into the country from countries and areas where African swine fever has occurred carries a high risk of spreading the disease and harms Taiwan's interests; under Article 18 of the "Immigration Act," entry is denied. For travelers who had not paid the fine but had already left the country before the 24th, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine will continue to demand payment, and they may not re-enter before the fine is paid in full, nor will visas be issued.

However, the above measures exclude ROC nationals, those who have obtained residency status, and people from the mainland area whose period of stay is 6 months or more. The Central Emergency Operation Center said this is because follow-up collection and compulsory enforcement can be effectively carried out for these groups.

The Central Emergency Operation Center called on the public, as the Spring Festival approaches, to inform relatives and friends who are about to return to Taiwan not to bring meat products back into the country, in order to prevent the introduction of African swine fever and other serious foreign animal infectious diseases and to safeguard the safety of domestic livestock and poultry production.