President Ma Ying-jeou has ordered government agencies to begin working to secrue the release of eight Taiwanese citizens being held in China. They were forcibly sent to China from Kenya, where they had been arrested for involvement in an alleged telecommunications fraud ring.
The eight are part of a larger group of Taiwanese citizens who were arrested by Kenyan police in November 2014 for illegal entry and unauthorized use of radio equipment. At a trial on April 5th, all of the accused were found not guilty. However, eight other Taiwanese were forcibly taken away by Chinese officials on the same day and were flown to the city of Guangzhou in southern China.
During a meeting on Monday, Ma said that deporting Taiwanese citizens to China without notice was a violation of both established procedure and of justice. He said that the government has already protested the move. Ma ordered the Mainland Affairs Council and justice ministry to contact Chinese authorities and demand the release of the eight Taiwanese nationals.
Ma also told government agencies to protect 15 other acquited Taiwanese nationals who remain in Kenya.