Prosecution of the case of 149 Vietnamese citizens fleeing to Taiwan
Five suspects were accused by the Ministry of Public Security of organizing others to flee abroad.
On May 6, the Security Investigation Agency (Ministry of Public Security) announced that it had issued a Decision to initiate criminal proceedings against "Organize and broker for others to escape to Taiwan"related to the case of 149 Vietnamese people who fled to Taiwan to work from December 21 to 23, 2018.
|
The defendants (from left to right) Nguyen Xuan Hung, Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, Nguyen Lam Sy. |
Four people were prosecuted, arrested and searched, including: Tran Van Danh (30 years old, in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City); Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha (35 years old, Ho Chi Minh City); Nguyen Xuan Hung (41 years old, Hanoi) and Vu Nhat Tuan (49 years old, Hanoi).
The fifth defendant, Nguyen Lam Sy (35 years old, Ho Chi Minh City), was released on bail. The five defendants were also prosecuted for the crime of "Organizing for others to flee abroad",according to Article 349 of the Penal Code 2015.
|
Defendants Vu Nhat Tuan and Tran Van Danh. |
The decision to prosecute the above defendants has been approved by the Supreme People's Procuracy.
Previously, 153 Vietnamese tourists entered Taiwan in four groups on December 21 and 23, 2018. Two days later, 152 people "disappeared". By the afternoon of December 27, Taiwanese police had arrested 6 people; 6 people turned themselves in; 3 people went to the airport to return home.
Taiwan's National Immigration Agency (NIA) said that 152 people, once found, will be deported back to Vietnam for violating immigration laws and banned from entering Taiwan for a certain period of time.
According to Taiwan's tourism authority, since the Guan Hong visa policy was implemented in November 2015, 566 tourists have "disappeared", including 409 from Vietnam.
