Since February 27, 2023, the National Police Agency (NPA) has been notified by subordinate units of unidentified bodies either floating at sea or being washed ashore. On the other hand, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has also received notifications of numerous similar cases. These cases are currently being investigated by a task force formed from members of the CGA and the NPA.
From February 18 to March 29, 2023, the police and coast guard units had discovered 20 bodies floating at sea. As of now, 16 of their identities have been confirmed, among which 9 of them were Taiwanese nationals and had died from either suicide or drowning accidentally; 7 of them were Vietnamese nationals, while the remaining 4 are still being identified.
The NPA has used information provided by the Vietnam Economic and Cultural office in Taipei to investigate a list of 14 Vietnamese nationals. Their families have provided samples for the forensic examiner to compare with the remains, while the Criminal Investigation Bureau has used fingerprints to identify them. As of yesterday (March 29), 7 of the bodies matched with the identities of those on the list. There is currently no relevant evidence that connects the deaths of the 9 Taiwanese nationals with that of the Vietnamese deaths. The Police units have requested local district prosecutors‘ offices to investigate the Taiwanese nationals that had died from either suicide or drowning accidentally, families will subsequently be allowed to retrieve the bodies after the investigation has been concluded.
Units across all levels of the NPA are now actively trying to identify the remaining bodies. The NPA, CGA, local prosecutors offices and the Vietnam Economic and Cultural office in Taipei are now working closely together to provide necessary assistance for the families and have spared no effort in identifying the deceased and tracking down the boatmen and intermediaries of this incident. Furthermore, the NPA has notified its liaison officer in Vietnam to work with the Department of External Affairs, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security to crack down on the Vietnamese crime syndicate behind human smuggling.
