8 indicted over forced labor; 4 Vietnamese minors rescued

Taichung, Sept. 14 (CNA) The Changhua District Prosecutors Office recently indicted a Vietnamese-born naturalized Taiwanese woman and seven others for allegedly exploiting workers from Vietnam, including minors, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Monday.

In a statement, the NIA's Taichung City Specialized Operation Brigade said the woman, surnamed Nguyễn, claimed to be "the reincarnation of a living Buddha."

She allegedly lured Vietnamese followers into bringing their underage children to Taiwan for work under the guise of religious practice, subjecting them to prolonged labor exploitation, the NIA brigade said.

In February, several Vietnamese fathers traveled to Taiwan to report that their wives, influenced by religious beliefs, had left home and taken their underage children to Taiwan.

Based on the reports, the NIA formed a special task force while the Changhua District Prosecutors Office was asked to direct the investigation.

The task force found that Nguyễn, who married a Taiwanese national over 20 years ago, claimed to be the reincarnation of a living Buddha. She promoted her teachings online and encouraged followers to bring their children to Taiwan on tourist visas for "spiritual practice," the statement said.

She taught followers that working for her could help them accumulate good karma and attain salvation when the apocalypse came.

The statement said believers who sold their property and left their families to come to Taiwan were made to work without pay at farms and restaurants arranged by Nguyễn. Their passports were confiscated, and their communications and freedom of movement were restricted.

The minors were required to start work early in the morning and were deprived of schooling, leisure activities and a normal environment in which to develop, it said.

To evade investigation, Nguyễn, who runs a restaurant in Changhua, and her accomplices moved some of the Vietnamese mothers and children to Miaoli County and New Taipei, where they were placed under the supervision of other believers, according to the NIA.

Meanwhile, the followers believed they were engaging in religious and spiritual practices and that the money earned by Nguyễn would be donated to charity.

Investigators also found that Nguyễn had been permanently barred from entering Vietnam in July 2023 over alleged religious scams. She subsequently shifted her religious activities to Taiwan after obtaining permanent residency there.

After months of investigation and evidence gathering, the special task force raided locations where the victims were being held. Four minors who had been exploited were rescued and have since safely returned to their families in Vietnam, the NIA said.

Following the investigation, the Changhua District Prosecutors' Office indicted Nguyễn, four accomplices -- all Vietnamese-born naturalized Taiwanese women -- and three Vietnamese mothers on charges of labor exploitation under the Human Trafficking Prevention Act and abducting minors.