Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) said that he has instructed prosecutors and maritime authorities to launch investigations after 16 bodies were found along Taiwan’s west coast this month, amid speculation that they were victims of smuggling or human trafficking rings.
Coast Guard Administration (CGA) officials said the bodies, most of which had washed ashore, were found by coast guard personnel and local residents along the coastline from Keelung to Kaohsiung.
Thirteen of the bodies are male and three are female, the CGA said, adding that items found on the bodies indicate that two of the men were Vietnamese, while three men and two women were Taiwanese.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
CGA officials said they have contacted the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei to identify the bodies of Vietnamese.
One of the Vietnamese was found on the platform of a wind turbine off the coast of Changhua County, while the other was found on a beach in Tainan’s Cigu District (七股), they said.
The bodies of the Taiwanese were identified by their family members, CGA officials said, adding that they are believed to be victims of suicide, drowning or homicide.
Prosecutors said further investigation is needed to clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Tsai told reporters that he has instructed the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office to coordinate with five local district prosecutors’ offices, as well as the CGA, the Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Ministry of Justice’s forensic teams to conduct autopsies, look for clues and launch judicial investigations.
“Prosecutors have been instructed to look into local criminal rings engaged in smuggling, or possible human trafficking, and to compile their findings to determine if there are connections between these cases,” he said.
“If evidence points to international trafficking rings, we will communicate with authorities in foreign countries for collaboration,” Tsai said.
CGA officials said they have begun working with local units to pore over coastal radar data and CGA patrol reports from over the past month to find any suspicious activities by maritime vessels.
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