The Northern District Affairs Brigade of the National Immigration Agency, in cooperation with the Taoyuan City Special Task Force, successfully rescued four Thai nationals who were subjected to labor exploitation. Investigations revealed that three of the victims entered Taiwan under the guise of tourism but were exploited by illegal brokers and employers through means of detention and fraud. After months of surveillance and evidence gathering, the special task force launched two operations, successfully dismantling an illegal worker transfer station in Taichung City. The three illegal brokers and employers involved were charged with violations of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, the Criminal Code for deprivation of liberty, fraud, and the Employment Service Act.
The investigation revealed that the illegal broker syndicate attracted Thai nationals to work illegally in Taiwan through social media platforms and used luxury cars to transport them, concealing their movements and arranging for them to wait for work opportunities in a residential house in Taichung. The brokers also demanded that the workers delete their phone conversation records to evade detection. Persistent efforts by law enforcement led to the discovery of the main suspect, a woman surnamed You, who was hiding the workers at a transfer station. She had illegally profited over 500,000 NTD from this operation.
Search of the Transfer Station Where the Main Suspect, Ms. You, Hid Illegal Workers (Photo / Courtesy of the National Immigration Agency Website)
During the investigation, law enforcement unexpectedly uncovered an internal conflict between illegal employers, revealing a scenario akin to a real-life spy thriller. Disputes arose between suspects surnamed Cai and Qiu over brokerage fees and salary deductions, resulting in additional exploitation of the victims. This scheme, where victims worked for free for ten days per month, was uncovered by the authorities.
The victims shared that they had mortgaged their land in Thailand to finance their journey to Taiwan, only to find themselves trapped as victims of human trafficking due to language barriers and unfamiliarity with Taiwan’s labor conditions. They faced delayed wages, and illegal confinement, and were locked in their accommodation, earning an average daily wage of just 254 NTD, far less than they could earn in Thailand.
Taoyuan City Special Task Force Deputy Captain Jiang Móuyuán urged that hiring illegal foreign workers or engaging in labor exploitation or sex work would lead to severe legal consequences. He reminded foreign workers not to fall prey to false promises and to apply through legal channels to avoid becoming victims of human trafficking. Jiang emphasized that the National Immigration Agency will continue to crack down on illegal brokers to protect legal employment rights.
