Taiwan protests after Malaysia deports telecom fraud suspects to mainland China
Case latest example of foreign governments sending Taiwanese crime suspects to the mainland, angering Taipei
Taiwan has expressed its “stern opposition” to Malaysia’s deportation of 21 Taiwanese suspected of multi-million dollar telecoms fraud to mainland China, the latest example of a problem that has strained cross-Strait ties.
The mainland’s official Xinhua news agency said the 21 Taiwanese were among 74 fraud suspects who were escorted from Malaysia by mainland police and arrived in Wuhan in central China late on Tuesday. The other 53 were all mainlanders.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed regret and stern opposition to Malaysia’s decision to deport the Taiwanese to mainland China, according to a statement on its website.
“This action by Malaysia has seriously harmed the rights of our citizens and harms the long standing friendship between Taiwan and Malaysia,” it said.
The statement also said Taiwanese police had been working with Malaysia to arrange for the suspects to be returned to Taiwan, but that Beijing had pressured the Malaysian government to send all suspects to the mainland.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, its mainland policymaker, said Beijing’s action “damages the tacit understanding and foundation for cooperation between security agencies”.