Taiwan continues its crackdown against illegal workers in the country that began in January.
On Saturday, June 15, 413 illegal workers were arrested by Taiwan's National Immigration Agency (NIA), Taiwan News reports. Of these workers, 246 are Vietnamese nationals, while the rest are Indonesian.
The arrest is the result of 173 site inspections conducted by the NIA's special task force. The arrested Vietnamese were both male and female migrant workers. The majority of male illegal workers were caught at construction sites and factories, while the majority of the females were caught in restaurants and massage parlors.
Besides arresting the workers, 118 employers and labor brokers were also arrested. Ever since Taiwan initiated a crackdown on illegal workers in January, there have been two major raids against those overstaying their visas.
Vietnam has become a major source of labor for Taiwan since the self-ruled island opened its markets to low-skill workers in 1992. According to a report in South China Morning Post, many of these Vietnamese workers often seek illegal work because of the high cost of getting jobs through a local broker, which is the only legal way to do it. Furthermore, these workers are often subjected to abuse and exploitation by employers.
[Photo via Taiwan News]
