Date: August 3, 2017
MAC Press Release No. 56
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) stated that today (August 3, 2017) 22 Taiwanese nationals involved in telecommunications fraud in Indonesia were forcibly taken to mainland China. The MAC expressed deep regret and solemnly protested to the Mainland.
The MAC stated that, since the occurrence of a similar case last year (2016), Taiwan has repeatedly appealed to the Mainland for the public security agencies on the two sides to cooperatively investigate cross-border crimes and to exchange case information. Each side should bring back their own people for investigation and trial in accordance with the law. This is the way to effectively combat such crimes and to jointly track down the people behind the scenes. However, the Mainland has repeatedly deported Taiwanese nationals to mainland China in complete disregard for Taiwan's goodwill and appeals. This is detrimental to the investigation of cross-border crime and affects the benign development of cross-Strait relations.
The MAC said the government has demanded that, after the involved Taiwanese nationals are deported to mainland China, the Mainland should promptly make notification of restrictions to personal freedom, as stipulated under the Cross-Strait Agreement on Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance. It should also assist with arrangements for family visits based on the position of humanitarian concerns, continue to protect the relevant judicial rights and interests of the people of Taiwan, and follow due legal process.
The MAC re-emphasized that, since last year, the government of the Republic of China has been actively strengthening efforts to effectively combat cross-border telecommunications fraud. It has amended laws, stiffened penalties for criminal liability, and formulated a new policy of confiscation to break up criminal syndicates at their source. It also continues to conduct anti-crime raids that have broken up numerous telecommunications fraud operations, demonstrating Taiwan's determination and achievements in combating cross-border telecommunications fraud.
The MAC called on the Mainland to keep the well-being of the people in mind, remove unnecessary political barriers, and jointly plan resolution and response measures on the existing basis of cross-Strait cooperation and through benign communication and dialogue. Only continued cooperation between public security agencies on both sides is conducive to tracking down criminal syndicates to their source, to identifying criminals behind the scenes, and to thoroughly cracking down on telecommunications fraud to safeguard the interests and well-being of the people on both sides.