Taipei: Taiwan’s Supreme Court upheld a prison sentence of six years and four months for a man who trafficked five Taiwanese people to work in fraud rings in Myanmar. The Supreme Court ruling confirmed Hsiao Yung-ping’s prison term from a March Taiwan High Court verdict but ordered a retrial of the lower court’s decision to confiscate his illegal gains, citing insufficient evidence.
According to Focus Taiwan, Hsiao recruited victims through Instagram ads promising “high-paying overseas jobs.” He deceived the victims by claiming that the jobs involved casino advertising and customer service, with wages ranging from NT$30,000 (US$891) to NT$1 million per month. Hsiao assured the victims that they would be able to return to Taiwan whenever they wanted.
Instead, the victims were flown to Thailand, smuggled into Myanmar, and forced to carry out online scams under strict quotas. An anonymous victim testified that those who failed to meet targets were punished by being forced to jump up and down or run. The victim described being held in guarded compounds, where armed men blocked escape and those who tried to leave were tortured.
When the victim asked to return to Taiwan, Hsiao’s Chinese accomplice, who managed their compound in Myanmar, claimed leaving early violated a “contract” and demanded NT$160,000 or a replacement worker. The victim was eventually freed after paying NT$70,000 from wages, with the rest paid by their girlfriend.
Hsiao was first convicted by the Taipei District Court in June 2023 and sentenced to six years and four months for human trafficking, which he appealed. In the appeal court, the Taiwan High Court upheld the sentence and ordered the confiscation of his illegal gains, totaling NT$250,000.
