NIA details rescue of 5 human trafficking victims in Taiwan

Kaohsiung, June 17 (CNA) Kaohsiung immigration officials said Wednesday they rescued five Thai nationals who were tricked into working illegally in Taiwan and that their passports were among 47 seized from an international human trafficking ring.

The National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials said the five individuals have since been helped to secure legal employment.

They revealed that in the course of their operations, a total of 47 passports belonging to Thai nationals have been recovered, but they are still trying to contact the remaining 42 to determine whether they are victims.

The syndicate operates via brokers in Thailand to post fake job ads on Facebook and has a local support network across Taiwan, said Chao Chih-cheng (趙志成), head of the NIA's Kaohsiung Specialized Operation Brigade.

Officers detained a naturalized Taiwanese woman from Vietnam surnamed Chen (陳), who gained citizenship through marriage, along with six Taiwanese, and three naturalized Chinese spouses in Taiwan, while also identifying 12 brokers based in Thailand, the NIA office said.

The NIA's Kaohsiung brigade worked with Miaoli police's Criminal Investigation unit in a task force that raided the group's premises in March after months of gathering evidence, including the 47 Thai passports, it said.

The group's illegal profits are initially estimated at nearly NT$4 million (US$126,610), Chao said.

The task force referred the 22 suspects to Miaoli prosecutors on charges of violating the Human Trafficking Prevention Act and the Employment Service Act, and the case awaits prosecution, according to an NIA statement.

The five victims were rescued in March in mountainous areas of Miaoli and Nantou counties, Taichung and Kaohsiung. All were employed as farm workers enduring low pay, long hours and no leave, it added.

"Some victims were housed in cramped truck beds or makeshift dorms lacking basic facilities. With food supplies insufficient, some had to catch fish and shrimp from nearby streams or gather wild vegetables to stave off hunger," Chao said.

Speaking to CNA by phone, an NIA officer said some victims were charged NT$30,000 to NT$40,000 each by brokers in Thailand and again in Taiwan -- amounting to NT$60,000 to NT$80,000 in total -- and were paid as little as NT$100 per hour.

The five victims, who arrived in Taiwan as visitors one to two years ago, were identified as trafficking victims and have since been granted legal residency and lawful employment under the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, the officer said.

The NIA had originally planned to go public only after more victims were rescued, but brought forward its announcement in an effort to help track down the remaining victims.

Chao said the NIA has a zero-tolerance stance toward human trafficking and will continue cracking down on illegal labor brokers and unscrupulous employers.