Ten Taiwanese suspects involved in a fraud case in Cambodia were returned to Kinmenon Wednesday, December 3, after completing sentences in mainland China.
Liang Wen-chieh, deputy minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, confirmed the news at a press conference on Thursday and stated that Taiwan would handle subsequent procedures.
Liang remarked that the repatriation process diverged from the traditional cross-strait cooperative mechanism. Both sides havehistorically shared an unspoken, pragmatic agreement to repatriate wanted individuals to face due legal process in their country of birth. Typically, both sides discuss timelines and transportation methods before the repatriation date.
This time, Mainland Chinese officials delayed notifying their Taiwanese counterparts until the day of repatriation. Liang pointed out that political obstacles on the mainland have sometimes led to hesitations or deliberate avoidance in executing cross-strait agreements. Nonetheless, the individuals were allowed to board a ship to Kinmen after their identity was confirmed.
While there are suspects to be sent back from both sides, recent political disagreements between Taipei and Beijing have hindered these agreements. As of September, there are still 873 Taiwanese fraud suspects in mainland China.
