Hundreds Of Taiwanese Trafficked In Cambodia Held By Chinese Gangsters

Hundreds of Taiwanese are among unknown numbers of victims being held captive and forced to work in telecom scam networks by human trafficking operations in Southeast Asia, authorities in Taipei have said, Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin reported for the Guardian.

Photo Insert: Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in Cambodia

Police forces in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam have launched major operations to rescue their citizens and shut down the trafficking syndicates. The traffickers, many connected to well-known Chinese triads, target young Asians via social media, offering well-paid work and accommodation in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos.

Upon arrival, their passports are taken and they are often sold on to different groups and forced to work in offices running illegal phone or online scams.

Most of the victims are Vietnamese and Taiwanese. Taiwan authorities say almost 5,000 citizens have traveled to Cambodia and have not returned. Police said they had identified at least 370 of them as being held against their will, but victims said the number is much higher.

At least 46 people have returned to Taiwan in recent months, with many of them reporting they were forced to sign contracts and were assaulted, raped, denied food and water, and threatened.

Rescues have been stymied by inadequate policing and corruption in Cambodia. The perpetrators include Taiwanese, Chinese, Thais, and Cambodians.

News of the trafficking ring has been widely reported in Asia. Last week, a viral video showed dozens of Vietnamese fleeing a casino just inside the Cambodian border. They were chased by guards wielding sticks as they ran from a building and jumped into a river to swim over the border to Vietnam.

One 16-year-old reportedly drowned in the escape. Yu Tang, a young Taiwanese woman who did not want to publish her surname, told the Guardian she was contacted via Facebook in April by a Taiwanese woman who found her in a group for people seeking work.

She was offered work overseas in call or assistance centers for online gaming and casinos. When she expressed skepticism they offered to pay for a return flight and agreed to meet her in person.

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