Two of the nation's most wanted fugitives, Chen Yi-hua (陳益華) and Hsueh Chiu (薛球), were extradited from China yesterday, arriving in Taipei to stand trial after more than three years on the run, according to the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
"Chen and Hsueh's extradition represents the government's determination in fighting crime and protecting citizens' lives and property," said Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Su also made clear that cross-strait cooperation in the extradition of criminals was not based upon cash rewards. The Executive Yuan has in the past offered rewards for the capture of the nation's most wanted fugitives, and a reward of NT$10 million had been approved for the capture of the two fugitives. The minister, however, dodged the question of whether the Chinese police would be rewarded for their help in the arrest of Chen and Hsueh.
"The Chinese police authorities have not requested the reward, but according to regulations, we are obliged to reward an informant who aids in the capture of a fugitive. We will proceed in accordance with our regulations," Su said.
Su also took the opportunity to warn against attempting to avoid the long arm of Taiwanese justice by escaping to China.
"To the 326 fugitives who have yet to be arrested, cross-strait cooperation on crime will make it impossible to escape the forces of law by escaping to China," Su said.
Chen and Hsueh were captured and detained by Chinese police in July in Xiamen. The whereabouts of the two fugitives was revealed when they attempted to blackmail Yang Teng-kuei (楊登魁), owner of the GTV cable TV station, for NT$50 million while they were in Xiamen. According to authorities, Chen and Hsueh had taken refuge in China in November of last year.
The two returned to Taiwan in accordance with the Kinmen Agreement of 1990 that sets out guidelines for cross-strait extradition of criminals. They were transported by ship to the outlying island of Matsu before being flown to Taipei and arriving at the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 3:30pm yesterday afternoon.
Chen and Hsueh had been arrested by Miaoli police in March 21, 2000, but they were released the same day by the Miaoli District Court on bail of NT$300,000 and NT$200,000 respectively. They have been on the run since.The two built their notoriety on a string of high-profile kidnappings, including that of Taichung City Council Vice Speaker Chang Hung-nien (
In addition, the two are wanted on charges of armed robbery on several counts, including a raid of the military's Hsinchu financial office in January 2001, during which the two got away with NT$ 2.2 million.
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