Again, our goverment does the incredible. It deported 14 taiwanese citizens suspected of being members of a swindling syndicate... to the People's Republic of China.


http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/n...w-summary.html

Taipei threatens to stop hiring Filipinos in deportation row - Summary
Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:58:59 GMT

Taipei said Monday that it would tighten controls on Philippine workers after last week's deportation to China of 24 suspected members of a telephone fraud ring. Taipei said 14 of the suspects were from Taiwan.

Labour Affairs Minister Wang Ju-hsuan on Tuesday stepped up the measures being considered against the Philippines: "If there is no goodwill response, we will take harsher measures and do not rule out freezing the import of Filipino workers,"

She also said screenings for work permits for Filipinos would be extended from 12 days to four months.

"Philippine workers are not irreplaceable," she said.

The Philippine government said Tuesday that according to its information, all 24 suspects were Chinese nationals.

"All the evidence is in China and the witnesses are in China," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in Manila. "Also, it [the deportation] was a request from the People's Republic of China. We did not receive any request from Taiwan."

"We acted in accordance with what was before our government and based on the evidences presented," he said. "Based on the records we have, they appear to be Chinese nationals."

Lacierda added that Taiwan could always invoke a 2009 cross-trade agreement with China if it wants to repatriate any suspects from Taiwan.

Several lawmakers in Taiwan urged Taipei to take a firmer stance against the Philippines, which has around 77,000 workers in Taiwan, mostly in the manufacturing and domestic help sectors.

"Once the Philippines sets the precedent [of bowing to China's pressure], other countries will follow suit and treat Taiwan as part of China," lawmaker Kao Chih-peng predicted.

Huang Wei-cheh, another lawmaker, said Taiwan should urge its tourists to boycott the Philippines.

Taiwan said it would recall its chief envoy from the Philippines over the deportations, and Foreign Minister Timothy Yang said Taiwan would also cancel an internet visa exemption service for Filipinos who have obtained visas issued by other governments, including the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The suspects were arrested in December in Manila and accused of swindling 20 million US dollars from people from China and Taiwan. The suspects were deported last week.

Manila cut diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1975 to recognize China but maintains close trade ties with Taiwan.