Taiwan Issues Travel Warning After Uganda Seizes Passports

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan issued a travel warning urging its citizens to postpone trips to Uganda following a series of passport disputes. On August 12, Ugandan immigration officials at Entebbe airport seized the passports of three Taiwanese business travelers and their family members, demanding they provide Chinese passports instead.

While Ugandan officials eventually returned the documents and granted entry, the ministry noted that a previous Taiwanese traveler had been deported. Ugandan authorities justified the seizures as enforcement of the country's one-China policy, which views Taiwan as part of China. This incident follows similar diplomatic tensions and travel restrictions in Morocco and Kenya.

The Taiwan Representative Office in Somaliland is currently seeking clarification from Ugandan authorities. The ministry called on Uganda to recognize that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other and to refrain from imposing entry restrictions for political reasons that could undermine bilateral interests.