Date: December 6, 2018
MAC Press Release No. 77
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) stated on December 6, 2018, that more than 40 Taiwanese nationals involved in telecommunications fraud in Cambodia were forcibly taken to mainland China today. The MAC solemnly protested to the Mainland, regarding to this matter.
The MAC stated that related government agencies in Taiwan have made combating cross-border telecommunications fraud a priority in law and order. The government has also amended the Criminal Code, the Money Laundering Control Act, the Organized Crime Prevention Act, as well as cooperated with other countries to break up numerous fraud syndicates with considerable success.
The MAC explained that the continued occurrence of cross-border telecommunications fraud shows that unilateral action by the Mainland has failed to effectively curb such crimes. They are also detrimental to the benign development of cross-Strait relations. The MAC has explicitly demanded that the Mainland make notification of restrictions on personal freedom after the Taiwanese nationals involved in the case are deported to the Mainland, as stipulated under the Cross-Strait Agreement on Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance. The Mainland should also assist in arranging matters related to family visits, protect the relevant judicial rights of Taiwanese nationals, and follow due process.
The MAC called on the Mainland to recognize that cooperation and joint effort are the only way to effectively combat cross-border telecommunications fraud. The two sides should promptly cooperate in joint investigations on related cases to identify the ringleaders and thoroughly crack down on telecommunications fraud, recover stolen funds, and thereby safeguard the interests and well-being of the people on both sides.