Taiwanese society was shaken up when a large-scale human trafficking organization was discovered that lured Taiwanese to Southeast Asia as a bait for overseas employment, imprisoned them, forced them to participate in fraudulent crimes, and even harvested and sold organs.
It appears that another bomb has been dropped in Taiwan, which has been chaotic due to China's armed protests after the visit of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month.
Some have even raised the observation that the number of victims of this human trafficking crime is as high as thousands, raising concerns that it could become a major political bad news for the Tsai Ing-wen regime.
According to Taiwanese media such as TVBS on the 24th, it is estimated that up to 5,000 Taiwanese have been deceived by human trafficking organizations and left for Cambodia and Myanmar.
An international-scale human trafficking group mainly used social media to search for criminals through job advertisements stating that they were recruiting 18-35-year-olds to work in Cambodia and Myanmar on a large scale.
They lured young people thirsty for jobs with false advertisements such as "You will work in a Chinese-speaking area, and it doesn't matter if you are inexperienced. Basically, you only need to know how to use a PC and type. Salary is at least $2,500."
Victims realize that they have been deceived only after they arrive, but the Taiwanese media explained that by then, it was already difficult to turn back.
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In particular, the 'KK Complex' in Myanmar's Karen Autonomous Region looks like an ordinary apartment complex on the surface, but in reality it is like a 'human purgatory' that is difficult to get out of alive once you enter it, TVBS reported.
The human trafficking scammers have been operating the KK complex in collaboration with the Karen warlords, and it is known that the outside of the complex surrounded by a 4m high fence is guarded by armed Karen tribes, making it virtually impossible to escape.
The detained Taiwanese were mainly tasked with sending random emails or phone calls to Taiwanese in their home countries, enticing them to come because there are good jobs in Southeast Asia.
They are assigned the task of attracting 15 to 20 people every month, but if they don't meet their performance, they are taken to a separate building and beaten with sticks, survivors testified that they were subjected to harsh punishment.
In the worst case, the Taiwanese media reported that in some cases, they were taken to the KK complex or Sihanoukville, Cambodia and harvested alive.
Taiwan CTi News also reported that human traffickers operating mainly in Cambodia and Myanmar divided the human body into 16 parts and set prices for each one.
According to the Taiwanese media, the traffickers were shocked to find out that they traded prices for each body part, such as the heart of $119,000, the liver of $157,000, and the scalp of $607.
They are said to have even advertised, "There are a lot of local items, so please contact us anytime."
There is growing concern whether about 4,000 Taiwanese, whose whereabouts have been lost so far, may have been victims of such atrocities.
In particular, Cambodia is a stronghold in Southeast Asia on China's Belt and Road Initiative, and Taiwan, after withdrawing its representative office in 1997, has no diplomatic base in the country, making it difficult to resolve the situation.
This is because, like this human trafficking case, even if Taiwanese victims of crime in Cambodia, it is difficult to resolve them through diplomatic channels.
Immediately after the incident became known, the Taiwanese government set up a special investigation headquarters and launched an extensive investigation to rescue some of its abducted citizens, but it is known that more than 300 victims are still detained there.
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The incident has further put the Tsai Ing-wen government under test due to China's growing security threats after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
Moreover, since the Tsai Ing-wen administration has been actively promoting Southeast Asian diplomacy while advocating for the New Southern Policy, there are also strong voices of criticism from the opposition that it may be a policy failure.
Tsai was also in trouble when a young couple who managed to escape from Cambodia for a ransom of $3,000 sent letters to the President's Office asking for help, but there was no response.
Although it was difficult for the authorities to effectively respond to the traffickers' criminal methods, there are also criticisms from the opposition and other parties that the government failed to respond in a timely manner.
Taipei Mayor Ker Wonzer said, "I'm at a loss for words rather than angry." "The Tsai Ing-wen government should take responsibility for the abduction of people who went abroad for no work, their organs harvested, and fish food." I did.
The Washington Post (WP), an American daily, reported that the opposition Kuomintang denounced the government's inaction, saying that a large-scale human trafficking case in which many Taiwanese were victims is escalating into a political issue in Taiwan.
The British daily The Guardian said on the 23rd (local time) that Taiwanese police had arrested at least 67 people who had been linked to human trafficking organizations, and that about 370 Taiwanese were victims of human trafficking. It is said that the investigation is expanding as it believes that there are almost 5,000 non-Taiwans.
(Photo=AP, EPA, Getty Image Korea, Yonhap News)