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MOFA promises action on ID, visa, passport forgery

Stronger measures are being taken to tackle passport and visa forgery, as well as the fraudulent use of counterfeit identification cards, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

Responding to media reports that the ID cards of 1,000 Aboriginal people had been sold to people smugglers, spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said the ministry was aware of the problem and that more effective policies would be adopted soon.

"We're aware of the cases involving applications using fake passports and US visas. The government will develop more strategies to prevent these illegal acts from occurring," Lu said.

Possible measures include stricter scrutiny at ports of entry and exit, improving the design of passports and strengthening links with overseas law-enforcement agencies.

Lu said that the number of Aboriginal people involved in the sale of IDs was less than 1,000, and that the ministry was gathering evidence relating to people smugglers purchasing ID from Aboriginal residents in Hualien and Taitung counties.

Lu said that photos on the ID cards were being replaced. The cards would then be used to apply for US visas.

Officials at the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation said that investigators had detected 30 cases of related fraud in Hualien.
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