DPP legislators Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Chiu Chuang-chin (邱創進) yesterday accused police in the small town of Ningte (寧德), in China's Fujian Province of extorting ransom money after detaining Taiwanese men who went there to get married.
Secretary-General Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐) of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF, 海基會) disclosed similar cases on Monday, but Liu gave further details in a press conference held by him and Chiu about how Chinese police in Ningte allegedly held Taiwanese men for ransom.
Liu said that, shortly after the Taiwanese men had completed the wedding formalities, Chinese police arrested them on trumped up charges, such as "faking marriage" and "illegally entering China," before demanding a ransom for their release.
According to the director of the SEF's department of legal affairs, Lin Shu-min (
"We suspect that the police force in Ningte is riddled with corruption. If Taiwanese men want to marry Chinese women, we suggest that they avoid Ningte where their lives and money are at risk," said Chiu.
During the press conference, Liu invited an alleged victim, surnamed Chu, to discuss his experience over the telephone.
Chu said that he arrived in China on Nov. 23 last year to marry a Chinese woman, but was arrested by Chinese police on Dec. 14. He was released on Jan. 30 after paying 50,000 yuan (US$6,100).
Chu accused the Ningte police of bringing trumped up charges against him of "practicing deception on Chinese nationals," and of assaulting him during his period of detention.
Chu said that a friend of his, surnamed Chung, was arrested on a charge of "faking marriage" and held for eight months, before paying 200,000 yuan (US$24,400) for his release.
Lin said the SEF had tried to find out out as much as it could about the situation via all possible channels, including sending letters requesting the assistance of its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS,
"We hope that the detention of Taiwanese citizens by Chinese police in Ningte are only isolated cases, because they have seriously damaged the trust between the people of Taiwan and China." Liu said.
The lawmakers also called for a resumption of dialogue between Taiwan and China, saying that dialogue would help to solve disputes of this sort.
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have
RSS