Cambodia’s decision to deport several Taiwanese telecom fraud suspects to China yesterday drew condemnation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council, as China continues to flout the terms of the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (海峽兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議).
“Forced by Chinese pressure and based on its ‘one China’ policy, Cambodia acceded to mainland demands that the suspects be forcibly deported to the Chinese mainland and did not even agree to our side visiting them,” the ministry said in a statement.
Seven Taiwanese were arrested as part of a roundup of telecom fraud suspects by the Cambodian immigration authorities on July 17, the ministry said, adding that Cambodia had ignored its calls for the Taiwanese to be repatriated for trial under the nationality principle of jurisdiction.
Three Taiwanese remained in Cambodian custody and the nation’s representative office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, would continue to press for their repatriation to Taiwan, ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) said.
The council said it had contacted China through established channels to demand that investigation and review of the cases be handled in Taiwan.
China’s refusal to respond to multiple demands for each side of the Taiwan Strait to handle cases involving their own nationals would hurt the healthy development of cross-strait relations, it said.
The council said it had demanded that the suspects be treated in accordance with the terms of existing agreements, including providing notification of their personal safety and allowing family visitations.
The council called on China to abandon its preconceptions and push aside unnecessary political obstacles so both sides could discuss appropriate responses and move forward on the foundation of existing cooperation.
In other news, a Taiwanese man was yesterday shot dead and two other suspects were arrested in Jakarta by Indonesian police, who raided an alleged international ring suspected of smuggling drugs into the country, Indonesian authorities said.
Customs and narcotics officers found 300kg of amphetamines stashed at the suspects’ home in Muara Karang, a residential complex, authorities said.
The man, identified as Khe Huan-hong, was shot dead during the raid after he tried to resist arrest and attacked police, authorities said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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