A bill that establishes penalties for attempted human trafficking passed the Legislative Yuan yesterday, with offenders to face up to seven years in prison.
The newly passed amendments to the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法) stipulate that those who attempt to use force, threats, intimidation or fraud to recruit, trade, take into bondage, transport, deliver, receive, harbor, hide, broker or accommodate a person would be sentenced to up to five years in jail.
A penalty of up to seven years in jail would be handed to offenders who attempt to traffic someone under the age of 18, the amendments say.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The amendments were approved by the Cabinet on March 23, and submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review when the government was under pressure to tighten punishments for human trafficking and attempted human trafficking.
The public outcry followed a series of incidents last year in which hundreds of Taiwanese were lured to Cambodia by gangs with lucrative job offers, only to be held against their will and forced to work in telecommunications scams or as prostitutes.
In accordance with international practices, the amendments employ a broad definition of human trafficking, which includes the conduct of offenders who use forced labor, pay their workers disproportionately, or treat them as slaves.
The amendments would apply even in cases where a potential victim is prevented from boarding a plane by police intervention at an airport, or otherwise rescued before being trafficked abroad.
Previously, the authorities were able — based on the need for an investigation or trial — to grant a visitor permit for up to six months to any non-Taiwanese human trafficking victim.
The amendments extend the period of stay for such people to up to one year, to encourage them to work with investigators.
The amendments stipulate that foreign victims would be granted accommodation and financial assistance if they stay in Taiwan, as well as being accompanied by law enforcement officials to court hearings.
The amendments allow individuals to appeal the outcome of cases.
Anyone found guilty by a court, whether an individual or an institution, cannot bid for public work projects for five years, the amendments say.
Also yesterday, the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment that seeks to curb identity fraud and money laundering using other people’s financial accounts.
The amendment to the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法) stipulates a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment, or a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$32,503), for those found guilty of selling financial accounts or account numbers.
Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) said the amendment was needed to curb a growing number of fraud cases that had “caused great financial loss for many people.”
“If we cannot tackle the issue of identity fraud for misappropriating financial accounts, then we will be unable to tackle fraud crime in general,” he said.
The amendment includes the addition of Article 15-2, which stipulates that no one can hand over or provide financial account information to others without a justified reason, he said.
The final version of the amendment applies to financial accounts at banks and other traditional financial institutions, virtual currency trading platforms and third-party payment services.
However, the newly stipulated restrictions on sharing account information would not apply to “general business and financial transaction practices, in which sharing of this information is justified and required, or transactions based on a relationship of trust between relatives and friends, or other legitimate reasons,” he said.
The amendment stipulates that financial institutions, virtual currency trading platforms and third-party payment services close within a specified period all accounts identified as being associated with identity fraud.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source