According to the statistics, Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chih Minh City, from June 21 to August 10 2022, had received 222 cases reporting that Taiwan citizens are trafficked to Cambodia by job scams. Their personal freedom is being retricted after arrival, 51 of the vicitims have returned to Taiwan (from July 1 to July 31 2022, the Office had already received 99 cases from Taiwan citizens). In addition, according to the statistics of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Myanmar, from April 13 to August 5 2022, it had also received 40 reported cases which Taiwan citizen are being trafficked to Myanmar by lucrative job offers, 7 of the vicitims have returned to Taiwan.
The Office, after receiving the information from the relevant departments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the victim, or the victim’s family members, will contact the victim immediately by phone or through socia media. When the office has fully understood the condition, the office will asist the victim to report the case to local police in compliance with local regulations.
Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chih Minh City has established special task force regarding Taiwan citizens being held hostage in Cambodia since May. The members include the expatriates of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the counsels of National Police Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and National Immigration Agency to co-process related cases. The Office of these countries will continue to report the cases related to rescued Taiwanese victims, facilitating National Police Agency, Ministry of the Interior to conduct the necessary investigation. The expatriated police, immigration and legal counsels will continue to strengthen the communications with National Security Department, Policy Agency, and Justice Department of Cambodia to facilitate tackling these cases.
We would like to remind the public that if Taiwan citizens intend to work in Southeast Asia regions, it’s necessary to investigate if the employer is legally registered in accordance with local regulations; whether its industrial classification complies with local laws. It’s also suggested to evaluate job contents and attributes, and read the employment contract carefully. Please follow the regualtions and enter the country through legal channels to avoid violating the laws or even endangering personal safety.