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| Taiwan Fears Fraud Suspects in Malaysia Risk Being Deported to China | Taiwan Fears Fraud Suspects in Malaysia Risk Being Deported to China |
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| HONG KONG — Dozens of fraud suspects from Taiwan were at risk of being sent from Malaysia to China in defiance of Taiwan’s demands to take them back, legislators in Taiwan warned on Friday. The case threatened to magnify tensions between the island and Beijing that surfaced this week after Kenya deported a similar group of suspects to China. | |
| Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday evening that 20 of the suspects had been put on a flight to Taiwan. But the fate of an additional 32 remained unclear. | |
| Taiwan’s foreign minister, David Lin, told the island’s official Central News Agency earlier that it was unclear whether the mainland Chinese government was was trying to force the suspects in Malaysia to go to China, but he said they should be returned to Taiwan. | |
| Kenya deported 45 Taiwan suspects to China this month, angering the Taipei government, which said the deportations were illegal and “seriously harmed the rights of the people involved.” | Kenya deported 45 Taiwan suspects to China this month, angering the Taipei government, which said the deportations were illegal and “seriously harmed the rights of the people involved.” |
| China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and frequently seeks to limit its recognition overseas. The deportations have raised worries in Taiwan that China is using its international clout to put pressure on the self-ruled island. | China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and frequently seeks to limit its recognition overseas. The deportations have raised worries in Taiwan that China is using its international clout to put pressure on the self-ruled island. |
| Taiwan’s government is scrambling to deal with the deportations in the midst of a key political transition. Next month, President Ma Ying-jeou, who pursued closer ties with China during his eight years in office, will step down. His successor, Tsai Ing-wen, advocates more caution and public deliberation in cross-strait ties. | Taiwan’s government is scrambling to deal with the deportations in the midst of a key political transition. Next month, President Ma Ying-jeou, who pursued closer ties with China during his eight years in office, will step down. His successor, Tsai Ing-wen, advocates more caution and public deliberation in cross-strait ties. |
| A group of officials from Taiwan will travel to China next week to discuss the deportations, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said on Friday. | A group of officials from Taiwan will travel to China next week to discuss the deportations, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said on Friday. |
| China says that the fraud victims are in mainland China and that it will investigate and prosecute the Taiwan suspects despite some of them having been acquitted in Kenya. Of the 45 suspects sent to China from Kenya over the past week, 23 were found not guilty of telecommunications, immigration and organized crime charges. An additional 22 had not faced trial in Kenya. | China says that the fraud victims are in mainland China and that it will investigate and prosecute the Taiwan suspects despite some of them having been acquitted in Kenya. Of the 45 suspects sent to China from Kenya over the past week, 23 were found not guilty of telecommunications, immigration and organized crime charges. An additional 22 had not faced trial in Kenya. |
| One group of suspects facing deportation temporarily barricaded themselves in a Kenyan jail cell in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid deportation. Cellphone video of the incident was widely circulated online and on television in Taiwan. “Sir! We are Taiwan people, Taiwan people!” one person yelled. They were eventually forced out by armed officers. | One group of suspects facing deportation temporarily barricaded themselves in a Kenyan jail cell in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid deportation. Cellphone video of the incident was widely circulated online and on television in Taiwan. “Sir! We are Taiwan people, Taiwan people!” one person yelled. They were eventually forced out by armed officers. |
| Kenyan officials said the suspects were deported to China because it is their policy to return people to where they came from. All the Taiwan suspects flew to Kenya from mainland China, the officials said. | Kenyan officials said the suspects were deported to China because it is their policy to return people to where they came from. All the Taiwan suspects flew to Kenya from mainland China, the officials said. |
| Taiwan, which has diplomatic relations with just 22 nations, does not have official ties with Kenya. Its diplomats said they confronted obstacles from Chinese officials while trying to help the people facing deportation. Taiwan also does not have diplomatic relations with Malaysia, but it has more significant trade and other informal ties with the Southeast Asian nation than with Kenya. | Taiwan, which has diplomatic relations with just 22 nations, does not have official ties with Kenya. Its diplomats said they confronted obstacles from Chinese officials while trying to help the people facing deportation. Taiwan also does not have diplomatic relations with Malaysia, but it has more significant trade and other informal ties with the Southeast Asian nation than with Kenya. |
| Mr. Lin said earlier this week that he was confident that Indonesia would not deport to China another group of people from Taiwan suspected of telecommunications fraud. | Mr. Lin said earlier this week that he was confident that Indonesia would not deport to China another group of people from Taiwan suspected of telecommunications fraud. |
| Lawmakers in Taiwan said on Friday that they were concerned that the deportations from Kenya could lead China to seek custody of Taiwan suspects in Malaysia and elsewhere. | Lawmakers in Taiwan said on Friday that they were concerned that the deportations from Kenya could lead China to seek custody of Taiwan suspects in Malaysia and elsewhere. |
| Altogether, 77 suspects were flown back from Kenya, 32 of them from mainland China and the rest from Taiwan, Xinhua, China’s main state news agency, reported on Thursday. A report on China Central Television, the state-run broadcaster, showed one of the detainees from Taiwan undergoing questioning, handcuffed and facing his interrogators as he explained the scheme. | Altogether, 77 suspects were flown back from Kenya, 32 of them from mainland China and the rest from Taiwan, Xinhua, China’s main state news agency, reported on Thursday. A report on China Central Television, the state-run broadcaster, showed one of the detainees from Taiwan undergoing questioning, handcuffed and facing his interrogators as he explained the scheme. |
| Xinhua quoted two suspects as confessing and declaring contrition. But they have not been given access to lawyers or officials from Taiwan since arriving in Beijing. | Xinhua quoted two suspects as confessing and declaring contrition. But they have not been given access to lawyers or officials from Taiwan since arriving in Beijing. |
| China’s Ministry of Public Security says the volume of Internet telephone fraud in China has grown drastically, aided by the easy availability of people’s telephone numbers and other private data. And criminals from Taiwan — able to speak Mandarin Chinese, but living beyond China’s harsh criminal justice system — have often been the perpetrators, according to Chinese news reports. | China’s Ministry of Public Security says the volume of Internet telephone fraud in China has grown drastically, aided by the easy availability of people’s telephone numbers and other private data. And criminals from Taiwan — able to speak Mandarin Chinese, but living beyond China’s harsh criminal justice system — have often been the perpetrators, according to Chinese news reports. |
| “Telecommunications fraud syndicates led by Taiwanese crime suspects have set up operations in Southeast Asia, Africa and Oceania,” Xinhua said. In recent years, complaints to the Chinese police about such fraud have grown between 20 percent and 30 percent annually, and over half of the losses in such cases went into the hands of gangs led by people from Taiwan, said Xinhua, citing official Chinese estimates. | “Telecommunications fraud syndicates led by Taiwanese crime suspects have set up operations in Southeast Asia, Africa and Oceania,” Xinhua said. In recent years, complaints to the Chinese police about such fraud have grown between 20 percent and 30 percent annually, and over half of the losses in such cases went into the hands of gangs led by people from Taiwan, said Xinhua, citing official Chinese estimates. |
| Last year, one such gang swindled a payment manager in a local government office in southwest China and made off with 117 million renminbi, or about $18 million, the report said. | Last year, one such gang swindled a payment manager in a local government office in southwest China and made off with 117 million renminbi, or about $18 million, the report said. |
| In recent months, the Chinese police have also worked with the Malaysian authorities to track down and break up a series of telephone fraud gangs operating from Malaysia that targeted mainland Chinese residents, according to Chinese newspaper reports. | In recent months, the Chinese police have also worked with the Malaysian authorities to track down and break up a series of telephone fraud gangs operating from Malaysia that targeted mainland Chinese residents, according to Chinese newspaper reports. |
| Like the suspected fraud calls from Kenya, these were said to have been perpetrated by people from Taiwan who recruited mainland Chinese for support staff, operating out of rented townhouses where they worked banks of phones to call China. But it was not clear whether the Taiwan suspects facing deportation to mainland China were arrested over those cases or similar ones. | Like the suspected fraud calls from Kenya, these were said to have been perpetrated by people from Taiwan who recruited mainland Chinese for support staff, operating out of rented townhouses where they worked banks of phones to call China. But it was not clear whether the Taiwan suspects facing deportation to mainland China were arrested over those cases or similar ones. |
| In January, police officers from China traveled to Malaysia and helped investigators break up eight fraud operations based in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang and other places, a local Chinese government news site said at the time. That operation caught 44 suspects, half of them from mainland China and the other half from Taiwan, the report said. | In January, police officers from China traveled to Malaysia and helped investigators break up eight fraud operations based in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang and other places, a local Chinese government news site said at the time. That operation caught 44 suspects, half of them from mainland China and the other half from Taiwan, the report said. |
| In another case, a businessman from Yulin, a city in northwest China that prospered under a resources boom, sent the phone swindlers more than 5 million renminbi of his savings, Huashang News, a paper that covers the region, reported in March. The gang of 27, including 14 people from mainland China and 13 from Taiwan, is accused of defrauding more than 400 Chinese people of a total of 10 million renminbi before its members were arrested in late 2014, the report said. | In another case, a businessman from Yulin, a city in northwest China that prospered under a resources boom, sent the phone swindlers more than 5 million renminbi of his savings, Huashang News, a paper that covers the region, reported in March. The gang of 27, including 14 people from mainland China and 13 from Taiwan, is accused of defrauding more than 400 Chinese people of a total of 10 million renminbi before its members were arrested in late 2014, the report said. |
| Since 2011, the police in China and Taiwan have detained about 7,700 people suspected of participating in telephone fraud operations from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, Xinhua said on Thursday. More than 4,600 of the suspects were from Taiwan, it said. | Since 2011, the police in China and Taiwan have detained about 7,700 people suspected of participating in telephone fraud operations from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, Xinhua said on Thursday. More than 4,600 of the suspects were from Taiwan, it said. |
| But Xinhua suggested that Beijing had decided to bring the Taiwan suspects in such cases to China for investigation and likely prosecution because the Chinese authorities believed that the courts in Taiwan were not securing enough convictions. | But Xinhua suggested that Beijing had decided to bring the Taiwan suspects in such cases to China for investigation and likely prosecution because the Chinese authorities believed that the courts in Taiwan were not securing enough convictions. |
| “Because the penalties for telecommunications fraud are quite light in Taiwanese law, and there are major disparities with the standards of evidence that apply in the mainland, many crime suspects cannot be convicted or receive light sentences for serious crimes,” Xinhua said. Taiwan’s conviction rate in these cases was less than 10 percent, it said. | “Because the penalties for telecommunications fraud are quite light in Taiwanese law, and there are major disparities with the standards of evidence that apply in the mainland, many crime suspects cannot be convicted or receive light sentences for serious crimes,” Xinhua said. Taiwan’s conviction rate in these cases was less than 10 percent, it said. |
| Officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice say prosecutions for cross-border telecommunications fraud can be difficult because of problems obtaining sufficient evidence. Those convicted of telecommunications fraud face up to seven years in prison in Taiwan. | Officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice say prosecutions for cross-border telecommunications fraud can be difficult because of problems obtaining sufficient evidence. Those convicted of telecommunications fraud face up to seven years in prison in Taiwan. |