The Supreme Court last wee upheld a prison sentence of six years and four months for a man who trafficked five Taiwanese to work in fraud rings in Myanmar.
The Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday last week upheld Hsiao Yung-ping's (蕭詠平) prison term from a March High Court verdict, but ordered a retrial of the lower court's decision to confiscate his illegal gains, citing insufficient evidence.
Photo: CNA
According to the court, Hsiao recruited victims through Instagram ads promising "high-paying overseas jobs."
Hsiao told the victims the jobs involved casino advertising and customer service, with wages ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$1 million (US$992 to US$33,053) per month, and that they would be able to return to Taiwan whenever they wanted, the court said.
Instead, the victims were flown to Thailand, smuggled into Myanmar and forced to carry out online scams under strict quotas.
An anonymous victim testified that those who failed to meet targets were punished by being forced to jump or run.
The victim said they were held in guarded compounds, where armed men blocked escape, with those who tried to leave tortured.
When the victim asked to return to Taiwan, Hsiao's Chinese accomplice who managed their compound in Myanmar claimed that leaving early violated a "contract" and demanded NT$160,000 or a replacement worker.
The victim was eventually freed after paying NT$70,000 from wages, with the rest paid by their girlfriend.
Hsiao was first convicted by the Taipei District Court in June 2023 and sentenced to six years and four months for human trafficking, which he appealed.
In the appeal, the High Court upheld the sentence and ordered the confiscation of his illegal gains, totaling NT$250,000.
The latest ruling regarding the prison sentence is final.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS