2016年CRI Telecom Fraud Victims Call for Proper Handling

 

The issue of telecom scams, and who has jurisdiction¹, has been brought to the forefront after a total of 77 suspects were arrested last month in Kenya and then sent back to the mainland to face charges.

Among the group is 45 residents of Taiwan.

Mainland authorities say those from Taiwan will be tried according to legal procedures on the mainland, saying that all the suspects from Taiwan have already admitted their guilt².

On Thursday, a delegation³ from Taiwan arrived at the Beijing detention⁴ center holding the suspects, saying they're satisfied with the way they are treated and questioned.

The case has also prompted some of the victims to speak out.

They're calling on authorities in Taiwan to do more to get their money back.

Cheng Xiaosheng is from Tianjin.

The elderly man claims he lost his life savings⁵ of around 900-thousand yuan to fraudsters from Taiwan.

He says he is counting on Taiwan authorities to get his money back.

"I call on Taiwan, especially Taiwan's police, to severely⁶ punish these criminals and bring them to justice. Also, what's perplexing me is that authorities there can't seem to help us recover our money. If the money can flow into Taiwan, there should be a way to track it. The money is usually the life savings of us victims, accumulated over the years and even decades."

It is estimated that fraud syndicates led by suspects from Taiwan steal an estimated 1.5 billion U.S. dollars from mainland victims every year.

Mainland authorities say only around 32-thousand dollars has ever been recovered from Taiwan.

Li Xiaosheng from Tianjin lost over 9 million yuan in a scam run from Taiwan in 2013.

In attempting to get his money back, Li was told he would have to pursue the case based the island's legal procedures.

However, he says the way his case was handled left a bad taste in his mouth.

"When I found the local prosecutor's office, I was told the suspects had already been released, as the case was still under investigation⁷. I was told it was nearly impossible to recover my money, since I would need to apply for compulsory⁸ enforcement measures, which I would have to pay for. The suspects were let loose, as the victims continue to suffer. I'm quite confused and let down by their legal system. Also, they have never actively⁹ contacted me regarding the case, I have always dialed long distance to reach them for updates."

Last week, Malaysia deported¹⁰ 20 telecom fraud suspects to Taiwan, rather than to the mainland.

Anger on the mainland erupted after local law enforcement officials in Taiwan released the group, citing a lack of evidence.

18 of the 20 are now facing charges, with authorities in Taiwan saying new evidence has been brought to light.

The other two aren't allowed to leave Taiwan.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

2 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

3 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

4 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

9 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

10 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》