The Control Yuan has censured the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office over the handling of cases involving Taiwanese who were imprisoned in Cambodia after being caught up in human trafficking job scams.
Over the past few years, there have been reports of Taiwanese who were tortured, imprisoned, threatened with organ harvesting and coerced into engaging in fraudulent activities after accepting part-time jobs in Cambodia and other countries.
Control Yuan members Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) and Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) submitted an investigation report on the matter, which was passed by the Control Yuan’s Committee on Domestic and Ethnic Affairs on Tuesday last week.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The prosecutors’ office contravened the principle that a prosecutorial investigation must not be made public when it released a video related to a job scam case in August last year, Yeh told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The video was released while the victim was still imprisoned in Cambodia, and as a result, they were tortured more severely, she said.
As for the ministry, it failed to fully grasp the human trafficking situation in Cambodia, Yeh said.
The ministry’s emergency call center received 643 calls for help related to overseas job scams from 2021 to June this year, she said.
In addition, 682 people in Cambodia, 194 in Thailand and 124 in Myanmar sought help from Taiwanese offices abroad, she said.
YouTuber Hao-pang Bump (好棒Bump) posted videos accusing the ministry of refusing to help a job scam victim in March last year, Yeh said, adding that the ministry only asked the National Police Agency and other agencies to help handle the issue in May last year, which “showed a lack of activeness and responsiveness.”
On top of that, the emergency rescue fund for Taiwanese people traveling abroad was rarely used due to the difficult application process, which led to delays in rescuing Taiwanese overseas, she said.
The Control Yuan said that improvements should be made and asked the Cabinet to follow up with the relevant agencies.
The fund for overseas emergency rescue should be used more flexibly to prevent delays, the report said.
The number of International Criminal Affairs Division staff and police posted abroad should be increased, the report said, adding that government should provide better assistance to victims when they return to Taiwan.
In addition to bolstering judicial cooperation with other countries, it is crucial for the public sector to work with the private sector, such as international rescue organizations, airlines and job banks, it said.
Agencies should study past cases to draw up prevention plans, designate specific units to handle such incidents and focus on issuing warnings to high-risk groups, such as young people, through the means they most often use to seek jobs, the report said.
The ministry said that it has been cooperating with Taiwanese offices abroad and domestic police agencies to deal with the issue since receiving calls for help from people working in Cambodia in 2021.
It said it has repeatedly issued news releases and travel warnings since then, urging jobseekers to beware of foreign employment scams.
To deal with increased calls for help after Hao-pang Bump’s videos caught people’s attention, the ministry held meetings and cooperated with other agencies police, and non-governmental organizations, it said.
The funds used for rescue missions were mainly from a specific Ministry of the Interior budget, and many people have been rescued, the foreign ministry said.
The difficult application process and delays mentioned by the Control Yuan might be a misunderstanding, it added.
The success of a rescue operation depends on whether enough information is provided, and the willingness of the victims and their family members, as wells as local regulations and political conditions, it said, adding that neither it nor its offices abroad have ever neglected an emergency rescue case.
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