Taipei, May 31 (CNA) The wife of Lee Ming-che, a Taiwanese human rights advocate who has been detained in China since March 19, sent two letters to the Taiwan government on Wednesday, requesting help to visit her husband.
In one of the letters, Lee Ching-yu asked the Ministry of Justice to assist her in making a request to the Chinese government for a humanitarian visit.
She said she will not consider hiring any Chinese lawyers until she sees her husband.
In the other letter, Lee asked Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) for assistance to re-apply for a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents (MTP), a travel pass required for Taiwan residents to enter China.
On April 10, Lee was scheduled to travel to Beijing but had to abandon her trip after she was notified at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport that her MTP had been revoked by the Chinese government.
The Chinese government said on May 26 that Lee Ming-che had been arrested on charges of "subversion of state power" and had been in detention in Hunan Province since March 19.
On Wednesday, Taiwan's Deputy Justice Minister Chen Ming-tang said his ministry had not received any formal notification from the Chinese about the Lee Ming-che matter, nor had it been informed of the specific location where he was being held.
Speaking to the press after a legislative meeting, Chen called for Beijing to quickly respond to the family's request to visit the detainee.
Meanwhile, MAC chief Chang Hsiao-yueh told reporters before a forum in Taoyuan earlier in the day that the MAC and other government agencies had been discussing ways of assisting Lee's wife.
The MAC will seek opportunities for Lee's wife to visit him in China, Chang said, adding that the family should hire a lawyer in preparation for legal procedures.
