A woman traveling to Macau was deported back to Taiwan after immigration officers saw pro-independence stickers on her passport. 

The Taiwanese woman's passport is reported to have had a cover sticker that reads "Republic of Taiwan." After seeking help from Taiwanese officials in Macau, she was still barred from entering peninsula. 

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The woman is reported to have been refused entry even after she agreed to remove the sticker. 

Chen Shang-yu, director of the Passport Administration Division, said that from January 1 to 28, a total of 180 cases of travelers with passport stickers were reported to them by the National Immigration Agency. 

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs respects everyone's political views, but the passport is an official document that served identification purposes abroad, and should not be used as a political tool," Chen said. 

In November last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) amended the "Enforcement Rules of the Passport Act" to introduce a new rule. 

"Passports cannot be altered in any way or stamped, as specified in Article 5 (2) of the Act, which means any activity altering the passport's cover, back and the inside pages is not allowed." 

This is in response to the supporters of Taiwan's independence who started to cover China's name with stickers that say "Republic of Taiwan." The amendment took effect on January 1, 2016. 

Chen said that those who put stickers on their passport could face a longer period of review when reapplying or even have their passports canceled. 

TagsTaiwan independence, pro-independence sticker passports, Macau Taiwan, republic of taiwan