The mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan
Straits (ARATS) yesterday wrote to its Taiwanese counterpart,
asking for help in getting further information about the deaths of
six mainland women that were being smuggled to the island.
The association asked the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) to
help provide lists and more information about the women, who
drowned after being thrown into the sea by their Taiwanese
traffickers in human lives early on Tuesday.
In the one-page letter, ARATS also said the mainland wants any
possible clues to the case so that any mainland operatives involved
in the case can be arrested at the earliest date possible.
ARATS and SEF are the two quasi-official organizations in charge
of cross-Straits ties in the absence of any official links between
Beijing and Taipei.
ARATS has been designated to deal with the incident, in which 26
mainland women were dumped overboard by people smugglers on the
island's west coast.
Six of the women died and the other 20 were later rescued,
according to latest media reports.
An unidentified official with ARATS yesterday said his
association had notified the families of the survivors of their
condition.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross Society of China is in touch with its
Taiwanese counterpart to arrange the repatriation of the 20
survivors, according to the official.
(China Daily August 30, 2003)