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MOFA assists two Taiwanese nationals detained in Mexico, Costa Rica

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday that it is offering necessary assistance to two Taiwanese nationals detained in Mexico and Costa Rica, respectively, for alleged involvement with Chinese stowaways.

According to Joseph Kuo, director-general of the MOFA’s Department of Central and South American Affairs, Taiwan’s representative office in Mexico was informed on June 10 by a court in Mexico City that a Taiwanese national named Lee Min-huei has been detained for helping Chinese stowaways in the region and is waiting for his verdict.

Officials from the MOFA’s representative office in Mexico have paid regular visits to Lee, bought him daily necessities and contacted his family, Kuo said, adding that the foreign ministry will continue to pay attention to the developments in Lee’s case.

The other case involved a Taiwanese national named Shih Chia-rei, who was detained by Costa Rican immigration in April also for allegedly helping Chinese stowaways, according to Kuo.

Shih, who went to Costa Rica as a tourist, called Taiwan’s embassy in Panama on July 17, asking it to help him leave Costa Rica because he had run out of money.

Shih said that he was detained by the Costa Rican immigration in early April for allegedly assisting three Chinese stowaways, but stressed that he had been cleared of the charge.

Taiwan’s embassy officials in Panama called the detention center in Costa Rica and confirmed Shih had been detained, according to Kuo, but Kuo did not explain why Shih still remains in the center.

He, however, noted that Shih is on a wanted list in Taiwan for a previous violation of the passport statue of the Republic of China and for helping Chinese stowaways, and that the foreign ministry has alerted Taiwan’s immigration and judicial agencies to look into his case.

As to what more Taiwanese diplomats can do for these two individuals or others in similar situations, Kuo said: “When our citizens are detained or treated unfairly, the foreign ministry is obliged to offer concern and necessary assistance to them, but we will not interfere in each country’s judicial process.”