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Cambodia has sent a group of Taiwanese fraud suspects back to China, according to Taiwan's foreign ministry. The ministry has called on Cambodian officials to provide a comprehensive list of the deported individuals, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.
On March 31, approximately 180 Taiwanese individuals were taken into custody alongside seven alleged Chinese accomplices during raids on an online fraud operation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. The ministry indicated that following notification of the arrests on April 1, Taiwan's representative office in Ho Chi Minh City began discussions with the Cambodian government. Nearly 190 suspects were deported to China in three groups on Sunday night and early Monday morning, but the ministry noted that no information about their nationalities had been provided. Taiwan and Cambodia lack official diplomatic ties since the Southeast Asian nation, like most countries, recognises Beijing and supports its claim that Taiwan is incorporated within Chinese territory, RFA reported. The representative office requested that Cambodian authorities issue a full list of the names of the Taiwanese suspects and deport them to Taiwan to face legal repercussions in line with international standards, according to the ministry. In spite of these requests, the Cambodian government has not yet supplied a complete list or specified the total number of suspects, the ministry stated. "Under pressure from China, Cambodia did not provide a list of our nationals or the overall number deported, and the ministry not only continues to press Cambodia to deliver the list promptly but also expresses its serious concern and protest," said the ministry, as quoted in the RFA report. Cambodia has emerged as a regional center for scam operations involving human trafficking and forced labor. These scam operations are predominantly managed by Chinese criminal organisations based in secured compounds in cities such as Sihanoukville, according to media reports. Victims, many of whom are from Taiwan, Myanmar, and other Asian nations, are enticed with false job offers, only to be coerced into carrying out online scams. Taiwan has previously voiced concerns about various countries deporting its citizens to China after their arrest on suspicions of telecom fraud, including Cambodia, Kenya, and Spain. Taiwan estimates that over 600 Taiwanese individuals arrested abroad for their alleged participation in online fraud were sent back to China between 2016 and May 2024. (ANI)
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