Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A total of 198 Taiwanese citizens have been deported to China from other countries as fraud suspects since last April, the Mainland Affairs Council announced Thursday.

The deportations have disturbed relations between Taiwan on the one hand, which wants its citizens to be investigated and tried in their home country, and the other countries and China on the other hand. Beijing says that since most of the fraud ring’s victims were Chinese nationals, it should take the lead in the investigation.

The first instance which was given prominent media coverage was the expulsion of 50 Taiwanese from Kenya, but recently Armenia deported 78 Taiwanese suspects to China. Cambodia and Malaysia sent 38 and 32 Taiwanese to China respectively, the MAC said.

Each time the MAC receives news that Taiwanese citizens are about to be put on a plane for China instead of Taiwan, it will protest with Beijing, a spokesman said Thursday. Taiwanese nationals should not be incarcerated in China for alleged crimes committed elsewhere until an agreement on such cases was reached, he said.     [FULL  STORY]