Police have arrested 16 people on suspicion that they colluded with foreign crime organizations to lure Taiwanese to Cambodia with false promises of high-paying jobs.
Taiwanese who have been rescued from confinement in Cambodia have reported being beaten or shocked, or physically abused in other ways by people running human trafficking operations at hotels and resorts in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
One man surnamed Lin (林) reported that others had been sexually assaulted as well as accusations of organ harvesting.
Photo by Chiu Chun-fu, Taipei Times
Separately, a family in Hualien County told a news conference earlier this week that their 24-year-old son who went to Cambodia for work two months ago last month sent a message saying that he was being held by human traffickers.
His family said that they believe he has been killed for his organs and demanded that the government rescue others who might face similar treatment.
New Taipei City police officials yesterday said that 16 suspects have been detained, reportedly from three human trafficking rings with links to gangs.
One of the operations is allegedly run by members of the Heavenly Way Alliance triad.
Separately, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that it had detained six people as part of an investigation into another ring allegedly led by Lin Cheng-hao (李振豪), 34, a leader of a major chapter of the Bamboo Union.
Evidence shows that Lin Cheng-hao’s group lured 82 Taiwanese jobseekers in the past three months, getting them on flights to Cambodia, where they were confined in prison-like conditions to make calls as telecommunications scammers, the CIB said.
Records show that the group received about NT$50 million (US$1.67 million) in commission for sending Taiwanese into “cyberslavery” in Cambodia, CIB officials said.
Authorities at yesterday’s news conference said that police units across Taiwan have conducted sweeps targeting 20 criminal groups believed to be engaging in human trafficking, with 67 people detained in the past few weeks.
“There have been 420 cases reported of Taiwanese likely being held against their will in Cambodia, with 46 having returned to Taiwan,” National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭) said. “There are 374 people who still cannot be contacted by their families and friends. We have launched efforts to rescue them.”
Work by airport police units to warn people about travel to Cambodia and cities elsewhere in Southeast Asia with placards and by speaking to people at departure gates dissuaded 28 people who had been planning to go abroad, he said.
Official data showed there are more than 4,600 Taiwanese in Cambodia, Huang said, although the majority are there on legitimate business or for personal reasons, he said, adding that local police stations have been asked to check household registration data for some people to confirm their whereabouts.
Huang said that reports have confirmed that organized crime syndicates in Taiwan are colluding with Chinese and Cambodian gangs.
Taiwanese law-enforcement agencies have contacted their foreign counterparts seeking assistance, including linking up with the FBI and police departments in Thailand, Huang said.
“Our police force and judicial agencies have made major efforts to communicate with local and foreign entities to rescue any Taiwanese affected by human trafficking in Cambodia, including cooperation with the private sector, Taiwanese business communities and religious organizations with a presence in Southeast Asia,” he said, adding that they are “exploring all possible channels to rescue them.”
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
RSS