Taipei- The United States Thursday rejected requests for political asylum from three Taiwan-based Chinese pro-democracy activists, saying they should seek asylum in Taiwan.

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de-facto US embassy in Taiwan, made the decision one day after Cai Lujun and Wu Yalin climbed over the wall into AIT's compound in Taipei to seek asylum, for themselves and Chen Rongli, a third activist who remained outside the compound.

"Regarding their request for asylum, Taiwan has well-established and reliable mechanisms to assist asylum-seekers and to protect their rights," AIT press officer Lawrence A Walter said.

"In such circumstances, the US policy is to allow the host authorities to administer such cases," he said.

Cai said he will try to explain to the AIT how Taiwan has violated the trio's human rights by delaying granting them asylum.

"When our effort to seek asylum in the US has failed, we will turn to other countries, but I will never talk to Taiwan officials again [about seeking permanent residence in Taiwan]," he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by phone.

Cai, 40, and Wu, 49, arrived in Taiwan in 2007 while Chen, 39, arrived in 2004. They had all been jailed in China for pro-democracy activities.

There are two other Chinese pro-democracy activists stranded in Taiwan, Yan Peng and Yan Jun, who arrived four years ago.

Although Taiwan has accepted the five, it has not granted them political asylum. It has sought a third country to accept them, but has not been successful as most countries have diplomatic ties with China and do not want to offend Beijing.

Without an ID card, the five survive on a 10,000-20,000 Taiwan dollars (300-600 US dollars) monthly subsidy, but cannot work, go to school, use medicare or apply for a driver's license.

Cai said Taipei refuses to give the five dissidents asylum for fear of hurting ties with China, which have improved since President Ma Ying-jeou took office on May 20.

Taiwan, seat of the exiled Republic of China government since 1949, welcomed Chinese defectors with cash and gold during the days of the Cold War, but stopped the practice when tension with China began to ease in the late 1980s.

After the 1989 crackdown on hunger-striking students in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, dozens of Chinese pro-democracy activists fled to Taiwan. Some were allowed to stay while others were sent to foreign countries to find asylum.

The last two Chinese dissidents who came to Taiwan but found asylum in a third country were Tang Yuanjun, who was sent to the US in 2002, and Xu Po, who was accepted by the Marshall Islands in 2003.

Taiwan claimed that it handled the previous Chinese dissidents on a case-by-case basis, but the case of Cai and the other four Chinese dissidents must wait till the passage of an Asylum Law, which is pending review by parliament. (dpa)