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.
Photo: EPA
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
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
Taiwanese who have recently traveled to China for tourism, to visit friends or relatives or for business reasons have been interrogated, detained and faced other forms of unreasonable treatment from Chinese officials, a source said on Sunday. Among them was a Taiwanese who was detained for eight hours at an airport in China due to their research, which is related to religion, while others have had their travel documents for China canceled for a number of reasons, the source said. In July, China expanded the scope of its counterespionage law, and recently announced a draft amendment to the law on the protection
RSS