Immigration authorities underlined the need to add staff and tighten scrutiny to prevent unscrupulous operators from taking advantage of Taiwan’s visa-free scheme to bring women from Thailand to work in the sex industry.
Taiwan launched the 14-day visa-free scheme for Thai nationals in August 2018, but some illegal operators have taken advantage of it to recruit women to work for escort services or in hostess bars, music lounges or prostitution, National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2019 severely affected the sex industry, but when restrictions were eased and international travel resumed, the sex industry’s demand for Thai women also returned. The NIA needs more staff and more stringent measures to combat this influx from Thailand,” a senior NIA official said.
Photo: Yao Kai-shiou, Taipei Times
Since Taiwan introduced the visa-free program, the number of Thai women younger than 40 visiting Taiwan surged from 39,231 in 2018 to 131,366 in 2019 before falling drastically to 19,261 in 2020, four in 2021 and 16,611 in 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the nation’s borders reopened, the number surged to 143,120 last year and reached 63,520 in the first five months of this year.
A veteran NIA investigator said that Taiwanese bosses, finding that young Thai female workers were adept at drinking, playing and interacting with clients, and willing to take on such work, set up channels to bring them into Taiwan.
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, numerous premises in Taipei already had so-called “Thai shops” (泰國店), mostly hidden inside commercial buildings or basements, or with bars or clubs as fronts. Most shut down during the pandemic, but have since resumed operations, he said.
Taipei police dubbed it the “new influx of Thai girls,” citing the arrest of 24 Thai hostesses at a bar inside a commercial building in the city last month.
NIA officers are stepping up efforts to question young female Thai citizens at the borders, double-checking details when in doubt or when the visitor has trouble answering questions about their itinerary or the purpose of their visit.
The agency is focusing on questioning younger visitors who have made frequent trips to Taiwan in recent years, with some saying they were visiting their boyfriend or meeting up with Taiwanese friends, but could not provide more information when asked for details, he said.
Another NIA officer who declined to be named said that they are busy everyday handling the large numbers of incoming foreign visitors, but they are short-staffed, making it a challenge to question or detect if a traveler is a prospective sex worker.
Taiwan has established closer links with many Southeast Asian countries by offering visa-free schemes, the officer said, but people have asked him why there are many “Thai shops” offering hostess and sex services for male patrons, but they have not seen a similar infux of sex workers from, for example, Indonesia or the Philippines.
The officer attributed it to the lower threshold for visa-free entry to Thai citizens, who “need just their passport and a plane ticket” to visit Taiwan.
In contrast, Taiwan offers conditional visa-free entry to several Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, with the passport-holder required to hold a visa to or permanent residency in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea or Europe’s Schengen Area, the officer said.
“Therefore, it is more convenient for Thai nationals to travel visa-free to Taiwan,” the officer said.
That means low basic expenses for starters, and they must comply with the 14-day restriction, departing before their visa expires, unlike citizens of other countries who overstay or go into hiding, he said.
As it is easy for Thai citizens to make another 14-day visa-free trip, they do not need to overstay or violate the terms of their visa, he added.
Vietnamese made up the highest number of “undocumented” citizens at 54,789, while Thai migrant workers or visitors numbered only 1,753, or about 2 percent of the total number of “missing foreign nationals” in Taiwan, official data show.
“So illegal operators are using loopholes in the 14-day visa-free scheme to have more Thai women working during their short stay... The NIA has found that some have registered to attend Chinese-language schools to obtain a student visa, but are actually working as a hostess or sex worker,” he said.
Those granted a student visa can stay for at least 60 days or a maximum of six months, needing to attend classes for a minimum of 15 hours per week, he said.
Some schools are lax in monitoring students and do not care if students to do not show up for class, he added.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
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