The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) - the de facto Taiwanese mission in Malaysia - will meet government officers to obtain information over an allegation that a Taiwanese businessman was assaulted by the police here.

TECO information division director Chiou Chyi said information will be gathered from "the related Malaysian government agency" before any conclusions are made.

Last week, Taiwanese businessman Chen Pao-Chao accused the Malaysian police of unlawfully detaining him for 43 days.

"The businessman related the incident at a press conference when he went back to Taiwan. So we have to find out what happened from the related government agency," he said when contacted today.

However, he refused to divulge the identity of the department to be contacted. TECO acts as an informal diplomatic conduit for Taiwanese nationals in Malaysia.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Chia Kwang Chye was quoted in Nanyang Siang Pau today as saying that the ministry has directed the police to submit a report on the matter.

Drug trafficking charges

The allegation received widespread attention in the Taiwanese media. Chen reportedly broke into tears during the press conference he called last Saturday.

Chen said he was detained while on a business visit and strongly denied that he was involved in drug-trafficking as claimed by the Malaysian police.

He claimed that he was assaulted during the interrogation and that he had been denied his request to meet representatives from TECO or a lawyer.

Chiou, who revealed that TECO helped Chen to return to Taiwan, refused to confirm whether the businessman's request to meet them was denied by the police.

"We help Taiwanese who have problems when they are here. I can only say that we helped him (Chen) to go back to Taiwan. I am not too sure what had happened in between," he said.

He said Chen's case is an "individual case" that would not jeopardise business relations between Malaysia and Taiwan.