Row with Manila tests gov't efficiency: scholar

Speaking at a meeting at the Control Yuan, Teng Chun-chien, Dean of National Chengchi University's College of International Affairs, said the public as well as the government should examine the dispute from a wider perspective.

Although the row started on the diplomatic front, various government agencies such as the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which is mandated to deal with China affairs, should have played a bigger role by stepping in a lot sooner, Teng said.

Pointing out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA's) jurisdiction does not extend to China policy and it was Beijing that demanded the suspects be sent to China, Tseng said the MAC should have engaged in talks with Beijing before the deportation.

The diplomatic mess also highlights a lack of efficient coordination and communication among the Taiwan government agencies, he said, urging the government to implement a comprehensive protocol for dealing with such cases in the future.

The fury in Taiwan over Manila's move is understandable because many people fear for the fate of the Taiwanese suspects, he said. The suspects are now under total control of the Chinese authorities, which are known for their inhumane treatment of prisoners, he added.

He suggested that for future purposes, the Taiwan government can try to forge a deal with a third country, which would allow Taiwanese criminals to be tried in that country but serve their sentences in Taiwan.

Taiwan has slammed the Philippines for sending the 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China, in disregard of Taiwan's request to have them repatriated.

Manila has refused to apologize, as requested by Taipei, insisting that it had done nothing wrong and it was only upholding the “one-China policy” and securing the national interests of the Philippines.

The 14 Taiwanese suspects, along with 10 Chinese nationals, were part of a large international crime ring that had allegedly defrauded people across China of more than NT$600 million.

National Taiwan University political science professor Chang Lin-cheng said that while many people are chiding the MOFA for being unable to protect the Taiwanese nationals, “under international law, there was very little that the MOFA could do.”

Chang said the purpose of international joint crime fighting efforts is to make sure that criminals are sent to a place where they will receive just punishment. It is not an issue of sovereignty, she said.

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