The Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA) yesterday expressed a solemn protest and concerns to Cambodia for deporting three groups of Taiwanese suspects, who had been arrested in the nation for alleged engagement in fraud, to China on Sunday evening and yesterday morning.
The Cambodian government cracked down on a scam center and arrested 180 Taiwanese suspects, the ministry said.
Complying with China’s request, Cambodia deported three groups of Chinese and Taiwanese suspects, a total of nearly 190 people, to China on Sunday and yesterday morning, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times
However, the ministry said that due to pressure from Beijing, the Cambodian government did not provide the exact number of the deported Taiwanese suspects and a full list of names to Taiwan.
“The ministry not only continues to urge Cambodia to provide the information, but also expresses solemn concern and protest,” the ministry said.
The ministry said that it consulted with other government agencies, including informing judicial authorities and the Mainland Affairs Council as soon as the incident occurred, and it hopes the Taiwanese suspects can be returned to Taiwan according to 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).
Taiwan’s representative office in Ho Chi Minh City continues to negotiate with the Cambodian government in efforts to receive information about the suspects, and the government would also make efforts through cross-strait mechanisms, it said.
“The ministry again urges people not to press their luck and engage in illegal telecommunications fraud abroad, to avoid being found to have broken the law and becoming imprisoned in another nation, which not only ruins their future, but also damages the nation’s image,” it said.
Government agencies would continue to cooperate and work with the international community to combat transnational crime, it said.
The deportation of the suspects occurred just before Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) began a tour of Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia yesterday.
Earlier this month, the Cambodia China Times reported that Cambodian authorities raided an online scam center in Phnom Penh on March 31, detaining 186 foreigners suspected of running fraud schemes.
All 186 detainees were Chinese or Taiwanese nationals, the newspaper reported.
An unnamed Ho Chi Minh City-based liaison officer for the Criminal Investigation Bureau on Thursday last week said that Taiwan was continuing talks with Cambodia to prevent 179 Taiwanese fraud suspects from being deported to China.
Cambodian media reports suggested that the Taiwanese suspects were to be handed over to China as a goodwill gesture to Beijing.
Additional reporting by CNA
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS