Authorities have indicted four people for allegedly docking Vietnamese workers half of their monthly wage, including a Vietnamese woman naturalized in Taiwan, Diao Yu-hong (刁予弘), who headed up labor placement companies.
The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office described the case as the biggest of its kind in the nation’s history, with the suspects allegedly making illegal gains of about NT$25.75 million (US$905,988).
The office yesterday completed a five-month investigation and indicted Diao, 41, owner of Hong Yu Employment Service Agency Co (弘宇人力仲介公司), and her staff, including Vietnamese interpreter Ngo Quoc Ha (吳國河), deputy general manager Hsu Shih-chang (許士樟) and accountant Lin Chia-chin (林佳瑾).
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
After setting up the company in 2017, Diao allegedly circumvented legal channels by using forged documents, falsified labor service records and set up 19 shell companies to bring 126 Vietnamese to Taiwan to work in the construction industry, Taichung prosecutor Chang Chieh-kai (張凱傑) said.
Although the 126 Vietnamese had signed work contracts, Diao “sold” the workers to Chuan Shun Construction Co (川順營造) and 37 other firms, Chang said.
“Diao charged the 38 companies NT$36,000 to NT$42,000 for each worker’s monthly salary, as well as overtime, registration costs for the shell companies and other fees,” he said.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
However, the workers received only NT$16,000 to NT$19,000 per month, with Diao claiming that she had to deduct labor insurance and other costs, he said.
The Vietnamese workers told prosecutors that they believed they were working legally in Taiwan and did not know Diao’s actions were illegal, Chang said.
They told prosecutors that when Diao was recruiting in Vietnam, her advertisements claimed that workers would earn a minimum monthly wage of NT$23,800 as per labor laws, he said.
When they complained about receiving only half of the promised wage, Diao threatened to have them deported, as her company had confiscated their passports and personal papers, Chang said.
The workers did not dare complain and worked much harder, doing overtime, including on weekends and holidays, to supplement their income, he said.
Prosecutors said that Diao’s actions were a “ruthless exploitation of fellow Vietnamese, deriving illegal profits on the back of their physical labor.”
“If they are injured on the job, they have no insurance coverage and no protection,” Chang said.
Prosecutors have requested a severe punishment for Diao over her egregious offenses and human exploitation, he said.
The suspects face indictment on forgery charges, as well as breaches of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法) and the Employment Service Act (就業服務法).
Records show that Diao was born in Ho Chi Minh City, married a Taiwanese and moved to Taichung, where they have lived for the past two decades.
She ran in the nine-in-one elections in 2018 as an independent for a Taichung city councilor seat, with media at the time describing her as the “first naturalized immigrant” to contest the seat.
During her election campaign, she promised “to provide better services to new immigrants, spouses and the underprivileged.”
She lost.
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS