More than 100 corruption suspects seized abroad in China's 'Fox Hunt' campaign
The number of suspects held – 104 – already exceeds the total for last year
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 30 October, 2014, 2:55pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 30 October, 2014, 11:22pm
Keira Lu Huang [email protected]
Gangsters arrested on economic crimes are paraded by Chinese police. Photo: AFP
More than 100 fugitives suspected of corruption who had fled overseas have now been caught, China announced on Wednesday – exactly 100 days since the launch of the crackdown dubbed “Fox Hunt 2014”.
The number of suspects held – 104 – already exceeds the total for last year.
The Ministry of Public Security also said on its website that an additional 76 suspects have agreed to return to the mainland voluntarily.
Out of the total number of 180 suspects, 44 are allegedly involved in cases of corruption or fraud worth tens of millions of yuan.
The high profile operation was launched on July 22. It is the latest stage in China’s anti-graft campaign and often involves tracking down corrupt officials.
Police have drawn up a list of all suspects still at large and officers are liaising with relevant countries and regions, according to the Ministry of Public Security. There are customised plans to track down each individual suspect.
More than 75 of the suspects seized so far were caught in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, and other countries in Southeast Asia. The ministry claimed the operation has received support from relevant domestic departments and foreign law enforcement agencies.
The Ministry of Public Security report said speed was a top priority.
“After receiving a ‘fox hunt’ task, [we] immediately set out a plan … quickly deal with customs and book round-trip tickets,” it stated.
When the “hunters” land, they make operational decisions while colleagues in Beijing are responsible for providing intelligence to help track down suspects, according to the ministry.
The report also highlighted that many female police officers participate in operations. It claimed they can make “subtle observations and psychological judgments unique to women to resolve unexpected cases” and can “handle the atmosphere”.
Specific plans are also made for working in different countries. In countries which are popular destinations for suspects, the ministry often plans “group arrests”. Special teams have been assigned to work with local police to find information on suspects using “all kinds of methods”, the report stated.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters that international cooperation on the anti-corruption campaign would be an important topic at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
“We hope the international community will cooperate and support us, especially with chasing suspects and illicit money,” said Wang. “Don’t turn your country a secret haven for criminals.”
Wang Fan, vice-president of the China Foreign Affairs University told the Beijing Youth Daily that Apec members such as Australia, Canada, and the US are popular destinations for corrupt officials. But he said he was confident that using Apec to help track them down will be effective.
The Ministry of Public Security added it has had successful operations in Africa, South America, the South Pacific and western Europe.
