U.S. national with sexual molestation record to be deported: NIA

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) An American citizen convicted of sexual molestation in the U.S. state of Oregon in 2001 will be deported from Taiwan after being located by Taiwanese law enforcement officers in Taipei, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said on Thursday.

In a statement, the NIA said the man, surnamed Wallace, will be expelled in compliance with Paragraph 1, Article 18 of Taiwan's Immigration Act after the agency was informed by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) that the man was in Taiwan.

Under Article 18, immigration authorities can bar foreign nationals from entering or remaining in Taiwan if they have a criminal record either locally or internationally, or if they are deemed a potential threat to public security.

It was reported that Wallace, who was given a two-year suspended sentence for molesting a minor in 2001, entered Taiwan on Oct. 2 on a 90-day tourist visa.

He was tracked down in Taipei's Songshan District on Thursday afternoon and will be deported after being questioned by immigration officers, the NIA said.