Seventeen of the 148 Vietnamese tourists who disappeared shortly after arriving in Taiwan last week have been located, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday.
As of midnight on Thursday, 17 of the missing tourists, who arrived in four groups in Kaohsiung and Tainan on Friday last week and Sunday, were found, while the other 131 remained unaccounted for, the agency said in a statement.
The 17 were found in Chiayi, Nantou, Changhua and Hsinchu counties, in addition to Taoyuan and New Taipei City, the agency said, adding that initial investigations showed that they had left their tours to meet friends or relatives, or to look for a job.
Photo: CNA
A task force set up by the NIA and National Police Agency is investigating if crime syndicates, including traffickers, were behind the disappearances, the statement said.
The Vietnamese were visiting Taiwan under a government initiative launched in November 2015 that allows electronic visa application for tour groups of at least five people traveling on Indonesian, Vietnamese, Burmese, Cambodian, Laotian or Indian passports.
Group tourists are eligible to make such applications as long as they are organized by “quality travel agencies” recognized by the Tourism Bureau or company-sponsored groups.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for a thorough review of the program under which more than 500 Vietnamese arriving on tourist visas have gone missing.
The Vietnamese National Administration of Tourism has suspended the license of International Holidays Trading Travel, the agency that handled the 148 tourists’ visa applications, and has begun investigating the case, Vietnamese media reported.
In related news, the Executive Yuan yesterday named National Police Agency Deputy Director-General Chiu Feng-kuang (邱豐光) as the new NIA head and a takeover ceremony took place later in the day.
Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) in a statement praised the four-decade law enforcement veteran for his contributions to keeping society safe.
With Chiu in charge, the NIA would continue to safeguard the nation’s borders and security, respect all cultures and protect the rights of migrants, Hsu added.
The position was vacated by Jeff Yang (楊家駿) on Dec. 12, when he was transferred to the position of senior counselor at the NIA after allegedly misappropriating funds.
Yang has denied the allegations and is under investigation.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS