The head of the foreign ministry’s African affairs section on Tuesday lamented the decision by Kenya to forcibly deport five Taiwanese nationals to China. Antonio Chen said the decision posed a great threat to all Taiwanese nationals overseas, should China consider them guilty of a crime.
Five Taiwanese nationals were acquitted of charges of telecom fraud by a Kenyan court last week. But Beijing claimed jurisdiction in the case, stating that the victims of the defendants’ alleged fraud were based in China. The defendants were subsequently deported to China for local investigation. That’s despite efforts by Taiwanese diplomats to have the nationals repatriated to Taiwan.
Chen said the foreign ministry had exhausted all efforts, including legal arguments, appeals to international opinion and human rights. He said the outcome carried a feeling of “might over right” or “a scholar encountering a soldier” in the face of China’s hard-headed officials.
"If the court found them not guilty they should be returned to Taiwan," said Chen. "If we are unable to protect them, then what about the millions of our citizens who go abroad every year? If this becomes a precedent, it only takes China to suspect someone of a crime to have them snatched away at any time. This represents a grave infringement on our own national human rights."
Chen said the government’s handling of the case was not an attempt to shield “bad people” but to protect the rights of Taiwanese nationals.
Furthermore, the Mainland Affairs Council on Tuesday said it had been informed by mainland authorities that the five had been deported to China but further details regarding their detention had not been provided in line with the cross-strait agreement on the joint handling of international crime signed in 2009. The MAC urged the mainland side to honor the agreement and provide the information in a timely manner.
Twenty-three Taiwanese nationals had already been acquitted of similar charges earlier in the year and likewise deported to China. There are also Taiwanese nationals detained in Egypt and Turkey facing a similar situation. Chen said the foreign ministry is also doing all it can to intercede on their behalf.