More Taiwanese nationals suspected of telecom fraud have been sent to China, this time by Cambodia. Thirteen Taiwanese nationals were among a group of 63 people deported to China for investigation on Tuesday. The other 50 are all Chinese nationals.
The group was arrested in a local police raid in Phnom Penh. They are suspected of phone and internet fraud. As in similar cases in other countries, Chinese authorities have claimed jurisdiction as the victims of the alleged fraud are all in China.
The foreign ministry said it had protested the removal of Taiwanese nationals to China and said the Cambodian authorities had been pressured by Beijing. The Chinese side says Taiwanese authorities were notified concerning the case. This was confirmed by Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san on Wednesday.
Chiu said that despite the current stalemate in cross-strait relations, law enforcement and investigation departments are still maintaining contact.
"To my knowledge, each department is privately going about their work as before, the mechanisms for notifying the other side, sending documents and issuing confirmation, these are still in operation," Chiu said.