PHNOM PENH —
Cambodia has deported 39 suspected criminals to mainland China, including 25 Taiwanese whom Beijing insists it has jurisdiction over despite protests from Taipei.
The chief of the Interior Ministry's Immigration Investigation Bureau, Gen. Ouk Haiseila, said the 25 Taiwanese and 14 Chinese were sent to China on Friday on a special plane dispatched by the Chinese government.
He said they were sent to China because they had committed crimes against Chinese citizens. They are accused of defrauding victims in China using phone calls made over the internet.
Rights activists and Taiwanese authorities say such deportations reflect the great influence China exercises over Cambodia through aid and investment.