Five of the seven Taiwanese nationals freed from Myanmar fraud rings cleared checks by Thai authorities and landed back in Taiwan this morning, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said.
The bureau said they arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 7:15am.
Photo courtesy of the Royal Thai Army
Upon arrival, police interviewed the five people and took statements.
They would also be sent to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office for further questioning to confirm whether they willingly went to Myanmar knowing they would be working for a fraud ring or whether they were victims of human trafficking, the bureau said.
The remaining two are still under investigation and would not be able to leave until all legal proceedings are complete, unnamed sources familiar with the matter said.
According to an English-language statement by Thailand's military on Wednesday last week, 260 foreigners from 20 countries were released by a Myanmar rebel group — the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) — and brought to Thailand that day.
It added that they would only be repatriated following checks to ascertain their involvement in the fraud rings.
Taiwan's representative office in Thailand confirmed that its staffers had accompanied the five released Taiwanese nationals from Mae Sot after they were cleared to leave.
It added that the office had helped them return to Taiwan, without elaborating, but did not mention the whereabouts of the remaining two Taiwanese.
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