The Cabinet said Saturday the government will not excuse any criminal acts involving its nationals. The Cabinet has also requested Chinese authorities to provide information regarding the alleged criminal activities of 20 phone fraud suspects to facilitate their investigation.
The 20 Taiwanese nationals were deported Friday from Malaysia to Taiwan after they were arrested along with 33 other Taiwanese in Malaysia last month for their alleged involvement in telecommunications fraud against people in China.
Taiwanese authorities spent the entire day discussing the case with Malaysia and China to try to prevent the Malaysian authorities from deporting them to China. The 20 were brought back to Taiwan.
The suspects, however, were set free for lack of solid evidence of their criminal activities soon after their return, fueling criticism that Taiwan is a "heaven for fraud criminals."
Cabinet spokesman Sun Lih-chyun said Saturday that Premier Chang San-cheng made it clear that the government will not condone any criminal acts involving its nationals.