MOFA protests Cambodia's decision to deport fraud suspects to China

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has protested the Cambodian government's decision to send 19 Taiwanese nationals suspected of telecom fraud to China, asking instead that they be sent back to Taiwan, a MOFA spokesman said Saturday.

MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that the 19 Taiwanese nationals were among 110 suspects arrested Oct. 17-21 for suspected involvement in cross-border telecom fraud and have been deported to China.

The Cambodian authorities refused to allow representatives from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chih Minh City, Vietnam to visit the individuals.

According to Lee, the Cambodian government sent the 19 Taiwanese nationals to China due to pressure from the Chinese government.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's official agency for exchanges with China, also raised objections regarding the incident, directing its protest at the Chinese government.

In a press statement issued that same day, the MAC called what China is doing unconducive to cross-Taiwan Strait collaboration to tackle telecom fraud.

Furthermore, China's actions in this case are harmful to the development of peaceful cross-strait relations, the statement read.

This is not the first time that Cambodia has sent Taiwanese telecom fraud suspects to China. In July of this year, it sent four Taiwanese suspected of engaging in telecom fraud to China.