Councilor raises awareness about human trafficking scams in Cambodia

Councilor raises awareness about human trafficking scams in Cambodia

2022-08-09

KMT Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying on Tuesday held a press conference to raise awareness about human trafficking scams offering high-paying jobs in Cambodia. According to the councilor, since late June, at least 10 Taiwanese nationals in Cambodia have asked for government assistance to return to Taiwan after falling victim to such scams. Let’s hear from the councilor.

Angela Ying
Taipei City councilor (KMT)
The scammers want them to pay US$25,000 to US$50,000 in compensation for breaking the contact. Victims say they were beaten and electrocuted, making life a living hell. Their offers really make victims think that they are going to get rich overnight. They offer meals and accommodation, and monthly salaries starting at NT$70,000 or NT$100,000.

Tsai Yen-ming
Taipei City Police Department
It is not our jurisdiction, so we are unable to go abroad. We are very restricted on what we can do to investigate these cases. We are trying to find more information so that our police officers can investigate the matter.

So far this year, more than 40 reports on this kind of scam have been filed in Taiwan, but authorities suspect there are many more that have gone unreported. Police officers say that, since Taiwan and Cambodia are not diplomatic allies, offering diplomatic assistance to Taiwanese nationals in the country is very
difficult. For now, raising awareness to prevent scammers from luring victims away is the way to go. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

騙到柬埔寨打工被囚禁數名台灣人求救

2022-08-09

國人近期頻繁踏入詐騙陷阱，被騙到柬埔寨打工，北市議員應曉薇自六月底至今就接獲至少十起被困柬埔寨的台灣人求救，特地開記者會呼籲台灣人千萬別輕易上當。

[[台北市議員(國) 應曉薇]]
“有聊到大部分要的賠償金額，是從2萬5到5萬美金不等。被打被電的、讓你生不如死的。那種層層誘惑，真的會讓你一夜之間覺得我明天就要發財了。包吃包住，一個月月薪7萬、10萬起跳，誰不想去?”

[[台北市刑警大隊大隊長蔡燕明]]
“那因為我們這個司法權沒有辦法擴及到國外，以至於我們在整個偵辦案件部分，受到一些限制。我們企圖來找一下有沒有相關資訊，讓我們警方能夠來做偵辦。”

這類報案從今年初開始全台累積超過40件，檯面下的只會更多，然而台灣和柬埔寨沒有邦交，透過外交救援很困難，警方只能不斷呼籲再呼籲，天下可沒有白吃的午餐，詐騙手法包裝成打工旅遊，千萬提高警覺。

Related News

Joseph Wu holds bilingual press conference to rally support against China

With China saying it will normalize drills east of the median line in the Taiwan Strait, foreign minister Joseph Wu on Tuesday held a bilingual press conference to raise international support for Taiwan. Wu said that Taiwan would not back down in the face of Chinese aggression. He warned that China’s ambitions would not end with Taiwan, and that China planned to link the East and South China Seas through the Taiwan Strait.

Joseph Wu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
China’s continued attempts to intimidate Taiwan will not panic us, nor will they defeat us. To Taiwan, the values of freedom and democracy cannot be taken away; they are built into our DNA.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu on Tuesday addressed China’s recent drills near Taiwan, in a bilingual press conference attended by members of the international press. Wu condemned China for using last week’s visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a pretext for the drills. He said China was attempting to destroy the tacit median line in the Taiwan Strait. He warned the international community that China’s ambitions would not end with Taiwan.

Joseph Wu
Minister of foreign affairs
China is now determined to link the East and South China Seas through the Taiwan Strait so that this entire area becomes its internal waters. And its intentions are not likely to stop there, as the PLA has crossed the first island chain multiple times to conduct military exercises in recent years. In addition, in May this year, China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, and intended to do the same with more Pacific countries. China’s influence also extends into Southeast Asia, South Asia, and even Africa and Latin America. China’s behavior towards Taiwan is merely a pretext. Its ambitions and impact is extending far beyond Taiwan. It is thus critical that all freedom-loving nations work together to explore means to respond to the expansion of authoritarianism.

Kathrin Hille
Financial Times
What is Taiwan’s concrete proposal or suggestion of how the international community could or should push the Chinese military back?

Joseph Wu
Minister of foreign affairs
That is something that we need to join our hands with like-minded partners [on] to make sure that the median line is still there, to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait; and if you look at the East China Sea, or South China Sea, China’s doing the same.

The Taiwan correspondents of most major press organizations were present at the press conference, ready with questions for the foreign minister. Wu called on democracies to support Taiwan, and to resist Chinese hegemony. He said Taiwan would continue to engage in exchanges with its allies and other countries, and that it would not be intimidated by China.

Joseph Wu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Recent surveys have also shown that the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese welcomed the visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I am also confident that many more house speakers will visit Taiwan in the future. China wants to block Taiwan’s participation in the international community, to pressure us and squeeze us out. Given this situation, we in Taiwan can’t simply sit around with our hands tied waiting to be captured. What we in Taiwan strive for is for more countries and more leaders to support us.

Separately, Lithuania’s minister of foreign affairs on Monday issued a statement in which he said that the free world cannot and will not allow Taiwan to become a second Ukraine. In response, Taiwan’s foreign ministry called Lithuania a good friend with whom true feelings would emerge in times of adversity.

2022-08-09

Naval officer gives personal account of a confrontation with a Chinese destroyer

A naval officer in command of a confrontation with a Chinese destroyer near Kaohsiung has spoken about the encounter. China’s PLA Navy was instructed to approach Taiwan’s territorial waters, but Taiwan’s Navy was determined to not let that happen. After a tense standoff, the Chinese vessel turned away, narrowly avoiding conflict. The story has come to light thanks to a university student with a penchant for analyzing PLA movements.

Chinese state media on Monday said that Chinese military drills east of the median line of the Taiwan Strait would likely be normalized in the future. China now appears to be validating that statement. China’s PLA has made 42 flights across the line in two days with aircraft including Sukhoi Su-30s, Shenyang J-16s and J-11s, and Xian H-6 bombers. Twenty of those flights occurred on Sunday, and 22 on Monday – the day after it said it would end drills in the strait.

Chang Yan-ting
Retired air force lieutenant general
Now there is no longer a median line. They’ve already passed over Taiwan’s territorial waters. Now we don’t have any strategic depth, and without strategic depth there is no strategic early warning. Without strategic early warning, we are at high risk of a crisis. If China suddenly attacks, we have no room to maneuver, and we don’t have flexibility in responding to the enemy. It’s a very tense situation. We have to prepare for the worst, and do our best to prepare. I don’t think we should take it lightly or underestimate the enemy, because China is now adopting a paralysis strategy.

While Chinese military aircraft are crossing the strait, Chinese naval vessels are also approaching Taiwan’s territorial waters. Taiwanese university student Joseph Wen, who has gained notoriety for a map he compiled of Chinese military bases, on Saturday tweeted a photo of a Taiwanese guided missile destroyer facing off with a Chinese destroyer off the coast of Kaohsiung. In his tweet, Wen included comments from the naval officer in command of the Taiwanese destroyer.

Wen’s tweet cited information showing that the Chinese destroyer was ordered on Friday to pass the strait’s median line. The Taiwanese naval officer said it was their mission to not let the Chinese destroyer pass, and that they were preparing to collide with the enemy vessel if necessary. The two vessels came within 200 yards – roughly 180 meters – of each other, before the Chinese vessel gave up its course and turned west. The officer said the Navy was at the ready, and that it would prepare for war, but not incite it.

Voice of Joseph Wen
University student
China test-fired a missile. Of course, following a missile test like that, the military’s officers will be nervous. My friends in the Navy said that they would defend Taiwan’s territorial waters to the death, and would not let the PLA approach. The PLA talks tough, but in reality it still exercises caution. I’m sure it is aware of where the bottom line is.

Wen’s social media posts drew praise from Taiwanese users, with people thanking officers for their bravery and determination.

Voice of Joseph Wen
University student
When the Navy officers feel that they are needed, it’s natural that their service will bring them a sense of honor. The defense ministry is like a simple and honest person who is not good at expressing themselves, but in intercepting the PLA they will fully devote themselves to their duty. If the ministry spoke more, I feel the results would be good. If they come out and speak to the public, it will be good for their image.

Wen believes that personal accounts from servicemen and servicewomen would be more effective in galvanizing the public than military propaganda would be.

2022-08-09

UMC founder Robert Tsao discusses resolve to counter CCP: exclusive

Last week, United Microelectronics Corporation founder Robert Tsao announced a donation of NT$3 billion to improve Taiwan’s defenses. In an exclusive FTV interview on Monday, Tsao discussed his thoughts on cross-strait tensions, as well as his motivations for making the donation. He said he was resolved to not let Taiwan become a second Hong Kong under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.

Wearing a bulletproof vest, Robert Tsao was on Monday a guest at FTV’s Coco Hot News. His garb caught the attention of many on set.

Robert Tsao
UMC founder
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has declared me a Taiwan separatist. I read comments online that were all saying I should get beaten up or killed. So right now I feel like I should take special care to protect myself. Wearing a bulletproof vest has the benefit of offering protection against attacks. That’s the same as Taiwan’s defense strategy. We must protect ourselves and increase the cost of a Chinese attack on Taiwan and lower their chances of taking over Taiwan.

Tsao said the bulletproof vest was for his personal protection, stressing that Taiwan should also focus on defending itself. Last week, the tech tycoon announced a donation of NT$3 billion for Taiwan’s defense.

Robert Tsao
UMC founder
In June, my private company paid NT$1.6 billion in income tax. I’ve put the NT$3 billion together how I could. If I hadn’t paid that NT$1.6 billion in taxes, I would be donating NT$5 billion instead. My two sons are not just supportive of me. They are proud of me.

Previously, Tsao had said that China behaved like a village thug. He had more to say during the interview.

Robert Tsao
UMC founder
I have given it a name, the “CCP Zombie Virus.” Within minutes, those who catch the virus look out only for themselves and turn from humans to beasts. They suck your blood out. Look at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their Taiwan Affairs Office. All of them have caught the virus.

Tsao said the CCP had also infiltrated Hong Kong. He choked back tears discussing the events he saw during the 2019 to 2020 protests in Hong Kong against a proposed extradition bill.

Robert Tsao
UMC founder
When I saw it I was distraught. Many of my friends were beaten up. Anyone who was in Hong Kong then would definitely become anti-CCP. Afterward, I swore that I would never let Taiwan become a second Hong Kong.

Tsao’s words on the CCP have garnered attention online, with thousands of views and comments on the episode uploaded on social media. With his NT$3 billion donation for Taiwan’s defense, Tsao’s CCP stance has become one of the hottest topics of debate in recent days.

2022-08-09

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Eight major banks and MOF agencies remain on heightened cybersecurity protocols

Last week, Taiwan saw an unprecedented number of cyberattacks amid the Taiwan visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The government launched response measures to prevent disaster, especially in the financial sector. Taiwan’s eight major banks and the relevant government agencies under the Ministry of Finance ramped up their cybersecurity efforts, with hourly reports on any suspicious activity. Their intensive defensive work will continue until Aug. 12.

Amid China’s constant cyberattacks, the Executive Yuan last week ordered the Ministry of Finance to activate personal data security response measures. Staff were mobilized at Taiwan’s eight major banks, and at agencies under the Ministry of Finance such as the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation and Trade-Van Information Services.

Official websites are checked for abnormalities, and so is the text and images at online shopping interfaces. Coding is inspected for traces of hacking. From Aug. 5 to Aug. 8, cybersecurity staff had to report back on their findings once every hour. Now, from Aug. 9 to Aug. 12, staff give updates on their findings once every three hours. Their work starts at 9 a.m. and doesn’t finish until 1 a.m. the next day. At the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, five members of staff carry out inspections, while two report any findings.

Liao Chih-chien
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation
They work in shifts, in three or four shifts. We will also take part in the Ministry of Finance’s security meetings.

The Ministry of Finance lists six major kinds of attacks to watch out for. They are: denial-of-service attacks from scattered sources, alteration of webpage elements, false information or data uploads from unspecified users, phishing attacks, abnormal service suspensions, and core network abnormalities.

Cha Shi-cho
NTUST Taiwan Information Security Center
Core networks do not allow external connections. They are more advanced than firewalls and can intercept attacks at the application level.

Taiwan’s government has stepped up security systems at its financial institutions, to prevent any intrusions from Chinese cyberattackers.

2022-08-09

Pop-up water park thrills tourists in Kaohsiung’s Cijin District

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Taoyuan shaobing shop keeps prices low with high volumes and tight margins

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