Taiwanese fraudster repatriated from Thailand

The 37-year-old criminal, identified as Chih Ching-hsiang, who had led a loan fraud ring since 2004 and had been wanted by police since December 2006, was taken to Taiwan from Bangkok by two Taiwanese police officers. He was immediately referred to the Banciao District Prosecutors Office for questioning upon arrival.

Chih's return made him the first Taiwanese criminal repatriated from Thailand since the two countries began crime-fighting cooperation two years ago.

Police liaison officers stationed in Thailand by the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) under the National Police Agency engaged in five rounds of cooperation with their Thai counterparts in 2009, resulting in the arrest in Thailand of over 100 Taiwanese criminals, mainly convicted telephone fraudsters.

A partner of Chih, surnamed Hsiao, along with 38 other ring members, were apprehended on the Thai resort island of Phuket Aug. 7, 2009, but Chih was not arrested in that raid because he was not there on the day the raid took place.