Just heard about two Chinese asylum-seekers who scaled the walls of the AIT compound … and eventually turned themselves in to bemused AIT staff FOUR HOURS later after none of the staff or security were aware that anyone had broken in. Then they simply called the cops and had them arrested. 
And mark that date: the day before 9-11.
Luckily there are no terrorists in Taiwan. Hope Bin Laden isn’t reading the Taipei Times in his cave.
I would assume that the formal US explanation is that AIT is not a part of the US government: it is an un-official (quasi-governmental, whatever that means) organization promoting trade ties.
As such, AIT could not grant any kind of asylum to anyone and did what any other ‘private’ organization would do with trespassers.
Asylum seekers need to locate the embassies of Paraguay, Panama, Guatemala, Palau, et al. I’m sure an enterprising travel agent could route tour buses of mainlanders in their direction.
AIT is guarded by privately hired security guards (not cops), isn’t it? They’ve always been very nice to me, but if the shit ever hit the fan, I don’t think their mission is anti-terrorism. I imagine they’d call in the local SWAT team if there were ever any serious threat.
The obvious fact that Taiwan is not a terrorist target both comforts me and worries me, knowing the danger of complacency.
That place was always a joke, glad I don’t need to go anymore!
Isn’t the Guatemala Embassy a one-room shack near the “Museum of Drinking Water” in Gongguan? Or maybe that’s Paraguay’s? It’s in a shack with a sign on it and it lists the name of the sole person working there, who is also the representative of that country. You guys know that government housing slum I’m talking about… Yongchun Jie.