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“We cannot actually do anything, of course, but I was just thinking we could help put some pressure on the situation by spreading the details and making it harder for them to hide,” said Sophie Lin, a Richmond resident.

She keeps up with current events in Taiwan even though she has lived in B.C. for more than 20 years and said she and “most Taiwanese feel some shame. It’s a loss of face, on both sides, my Canadian side and my Taiwanese side, to think of these people who have all this money and who are hiding here.”

Alleged victims in Taiwan claim they were duped of millions of dollars when a cosmetic surgery clinic in Taipei run by Su and her husband abruptly closed last December. Some said they paid in advance for various services and others were highly leveraged investors in the business.

Canada does not have diplomatic ties or an extradition treaty with Taiwan. Canada officially recognizes mainland China or the People’s Republic of China, which does not consider Taiwan a sovereign nation, but rather as a part of its territory. This means countries that diplomatically recognize mainland China and Beijing cannot have official government relations with Taiwan.

Despite this, it is still possible for agreements to be made on a case-by-case situation, according to lawyers.

On the delicate situation, Alice Wang, senior assistant director of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, which serves as a de facto representative group, said Canada and Taiwan have a close relationship with each actively promoting tourism and economic trade.

“We respect the procedures within Canada and we hope Canada can help deport these three people,” said Wang.

jlee-young@postmedia.com

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