Restrictions on citizens’ exits reconsidered: Taiwan, young democracy under threat

This article explores how Taiwan strictly regulated its citizens’ exits and re-entries during the martial law years and why this young democracy still closely monitors citizens’ departure at exit ports and tracks their time of absence from the country. Contextualizing the various uses of border controls and the construction of membership in its authoritarian years, this article associates Taiwan's international status, Beijing's aggression and the problematic nature of membership in Taiwan with the continued exit controls on citizens. With an extensive documentary review and interviews with immigration officers, this article explores why a successfully transformed East Asian democracy continues to control the movements of its citizens.