Migrant worker slams Vietnam office

2005-06-01 / Taiwan News, Staff Reporter / By Shih Hsiu-chuan

A sexually abused domestic helper, center, is comforted by Father Nguyen Van Hung of the Hsinchu Catholic Diocese Migrant Concern Desk, left, and lawyer Lin Yeon-sonq of the Legal Aid Foundation at a press conference in Taipei yesterday./rick yi, taiwan news
A migrant worker from Vietnam yesterday accused representatives of her country's government in Taipei of forcing her and her sisters to revoke a court action against their brokers, whom they accused of sexual assault. The lawsuit filed by the migrant laborers is currently under investigation by the Tainan District Prosecution Office.

On behalf of the alleged victims, the worker, who requested anonymity, complained that they were "wounded both physically and emotionally because of the sexual abuse."

"Now, we still have to face the menace and threat from our government," the worker said.

Lai Fang-yu, a lawyer from the Legal Aid Foundation, who provides assistance to abused workers, leveled reproach against Vietnam's representatives in the Economic & Culture Office in Taipei, saying that "the aim of the office is to prevent the victims from telling the truth about the abuse."

"This (cover up) would in turn hamper Taiwan's judiciary investigation," Lai said.

In response, the director of the Vietnam liaison office in Taipei denied that anyone from his office had put pressure on the Vietnamese workers.

Kuomintang Legislator Joanna Lei and Juan Wen-Hsiung, a priest from the Australian Catholic Chinese Community, accompanied the Vietnamese worker yesterday at a press conference, where they communicated with another alleged victim by telephone, hearing her story about how the Vietnam office in Taipei exerted pressure on her.

"An official Chen Tung-hui from the office came to my place, asking me to withdraw the claim and not to give evidence in court," she said.

"Chen told me that we can get some money if we would be willing to make an agreement with the offenders to withdraw the lawsuit," she charged.

The lawsuit was filed against two offenders, Hung Ching-chang, 74, and his son, Hung Ming-yu, 48, who once ran a Tainan-based employment agency that imports migrant workers. The two men are currently in detention by the prosecutors in the investigation in the lawsuit.

After the accusations surfaced on May 18, the Legal Aid Foundation received complaints from seven other persons who alleged that they too had been sexually assaulted in the same employment agency, bringing the number of alleged victims to 12, Lai said.

Lai said that prosecutors have already taken written statements from several alleged victims, which would be very helpful in prosecuting the offenders. However, the interference by the Vietnam representative office would make it difficult for the prosecutors to proceed with further investigations, Lai said.

"The Vietnam representatives have been pressuring not only the victims, but also our foundation," Lai charged. "The foundation has received many phone calls from legislators as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking us not to help the victims."

Attorney Joseph Lin (æž—æ°¸é Œ) of the foundation said that the Vietnam representatives have already infringed on Taiwan's judiciary operations, and called on the Taiwan government to take steps to condemn such actions.