Following the recent arrest of former Bamboo Union gang leader Chen Chi-li (
A police officer involved in the case said that while extradition requests in some other countries were relatively straightforward, no extradition treaty existed with Cambodia.
Also, the charges against Chen -- of forming an illegal armed group and illegal possession of weapons -- are likely to lead to trial and possibly prison in Cambodia.
The police officer said there was no history of cooperation between the two countries on such matters because extradition treaties are usually based on diplomatic acknowledgement.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only six countries presently have extradition treaties with Taiwan. These countries are all in South America or Africa, where Taiwanese fugitives rarely flee.
Destinations most favored by Taiwanese fugitives are Southeast Asian countries, Hong Kong, Macao and, predominantly, China, according to the CIB.
"To catch criminals that have fled the country does not usually depend on an extradition treaty.
"The point is whether the other party [the country where the fugitives have fled] is ruled by law and whether its police have a good relationship with us," said a senior detective at the International Affairs Division of the CIB, who did not want to be named.
He said that tracking criminals across national boundaries was widely accepted by many countries and that even though Taiwan was not a member of Interpol, international cooperation and sharing information was prevalent among most country's police forces.
The detective said in a typical case Taiwanese police had to get the support of the police of the country in which the criminal was staying.
After the criminal was located his travel documents would be cancelled by the government in Taiwan and the host country would deal with him as an illegal resident and deport him, the detective said.
If the criminal uses forged travel documents then local police simply expel the illegal resident by putting him on a Taiwan-bound aircraft and handing him over to Taiwan police, the detective said.
But things do not always run so smoothly.
According to sources, this is the first time police have requested that Cambodia extradite Chen Chi-li, despite the fact it was known he has been living there for years and he has been wanted on charges of racketeering and bid-rigging on a highway construction project.
One reason given for this situation is that Chen had good relations with Cambodian authorities and Taiwanese police did not expect their application to succeed.
Also, unlike other Southeast Asian countries like Hong Kong and Macao, Taiwanese police have little contact with Cambodia -- which is why the country has been favored as a bolt-hole by gangsters from Taiwan.
Even with countries that Taiwan has good relations with, things can go wrong: "One time, for example, we made a deal with their [another country's] police to catch a really big fish, but the criminal managed to bribe them and escape on the night before he was to be repatriated," the CIB detective said.
Another high-ranking CIB officer said that if a criminal is simply expelled from another country without notifying police in Taiwan it was often difficult to catch the criminal.
It is also suspected that criminals bribe foreign authorities for shelter, and that police in Taiwan offer money in return for cooperation from other country's police forces.
"I've heard of such things, but I cannot confirm them," the detective said.
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