52 Singaporean citizens have been arrested and detained in China’s Guangxi province for their suspected involvement in pyramid scheme activities and related offences.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is providing consular assistance to them, said MFA and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a joint statement on Friday (4 Sept).
Source: Kindel Media on Pexels. Photo for illustration purposes only.
Speaking to the local media on Friday, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann said that the Singapore Embassy in Beijing and the Singapore Consulate-General in Guangzhou had made three visits to all 52 detainees.
They were for the purpose of checking on their well-being and providing consular assistance, including conveying their requests, passing on messages from their families and facilitating administrative matters.
MFA is also in contact with the detainees’ next-of-kin, with Ms Sim herself having met most of the family members.
“We are doing all we can to help them through an understandably difficult time,” Ms Sim said.
Source: @simannsg on Instagram
However, Ms Sim emphasised that the Singapore Government does not interfere in the judicial process and investigations of other countries.
This is just as we expect foreign governments to respect our laws and legal process, she said, adding:
The Singapore Government will continue to pay close attention to the case and stress that due process should be accorded to our citizens.
MFA has been engaging the Chinese authorities through the Singapore Embassy in Beijing and the Singapore Consulate-General in Guangzhou, while SPF has contacted its Chinese counterparts to seek more information.
Investigations by the Chinese authorities are ongoing.
Source: Hao Liang on Pexels
MFA and SPF did not provide additional details about the case or the status of the investigation.
In response to a question posed by Channel NewsAsia (CNA) about the arrests at a regular media briefing in Beijing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China handles cases involving foreign nationals in accordance with the law.
The country will ensure that their lawful rights are fully protected, he added, referring requests for further details to the relevant authorities.
Source: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa
Mr Guo did not directly address CNA’s queries, which included details on the specific charges faced by the Singaporeans arrested.
As of writing, it is unclear whether other Chinese or foreign nationals were swept up in the operation.
More than nine years ago, three suspects were reportedly detained in Hunan province after a university student found herself stuck in a pyramid selling scheme, reported CGTN.
According to the police, the university student, who was from Guangxi’s capital Nanning, was lured over the Internet to Hunan’s capital Changsha by the scheme.
When she visited a cafe accompanied by two women and a man, she resorted to leaving an SOS message on a receipt in a bid to get help.
Source: CGTN via icswb.com
The shop manager called the police when she saw the message, and the student was eventually rescued and sent home to her family while the trio were detained.
CGTN reported at the time that pyramid schemes operating in the country were known for their tactics of deceptive fundraising and the putting of relentless pressure on recruits.
The schemes were run on an outlawed multi-level business model, according to the report. Illegal profits were made not by investments or selling products, but by entrapping others into the scheme.
In the joint statement, the MFA and SPF reminded Singaporeans who are travelling or residing overseas that they are subject to the laws of the country they are in.
Ms Sim reiterated that Singaporeans should exercise caution when considering business or investment schemes, whether overseas or local, adding:
This is especially so for schemes involving the recruitment of participants, upfront payment of large sums of money, or promises of unusually high returns.
Also read: S’porean arrested in Taiwan for working as ‘runner’ for scam syndicate
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Featured image adapted from Kindel Media on Pexels. Photo for illustration purposes only.