8 Thai women and transwoman arrested in Taiwan for prostitution

Taiwanese police arrested eight Thai women and a Thai transwoman at a hotel in the Zhongshan district of Taipei City last week for illegal prostitution.

Radio Taiwan International (RTI) news agency reported that police officers in Taipei continued to crack down on illegal prostitution in the city after the arrest of 24 Thai women on May 20 at a bar in the Zhongshan district.

In the recent crackdown on June 19, police raided a hotel in the same area and arrested 12 foreigners for illegal prostitution. Nine of them were Thai nationals, and one of the Thais was a transwoman. All of the Thai suspects entered Taiwan under the visa-free scheme as tourists before turning to work illegally as prostitutes.

Taiwanese police reported that a transnational sex trafficking gang recruited Thai women for a short period to provide sexual services at the hotel. Nine customers present at the scene claimed they did not know that the sex workers were illegal.

All nine Thai nationals were detained at an Immigration Department in Taiwan and will later be deported after paying a fine. All of them will face a life ban on entering Taiwan.

Local officers did not clarify whether the hotel’s owner and staff members were involved in the illegal prostitution but the owner was charged with violating criminal law related to sexual conduct and labour law.

Officers are now conducting a further investigation to arrest members of the transnational sex trafficking gang who were behind this illegal operation.

The RTI also issued a warning that Taiwan does not offer any positions in the agricultural sector or manufacturing to foreigners, except for positions that are officially opened in collaboration with foreign authorities. The news agency warned Thai people not to believe any advertisement on social media platforms, especially in the sex work industry.

Aside from the arrest of 24 Thai women at a bar in Taiwan in May, another Thai woman was arrested in New Taipei City in October of last year for illegally offering sexual services. The 20 year old woman was caught operating an illegal prostitution business after local police came across her advertisement on social media.