Taiwanese police have found the bodies of at least seven Vietnamese nationals at sea since mid-February, island authorities said on Thursday, launching an investigation into suspected human trafficking.
Taiwanese authorities and their representative office in Vietnam will help Vietnamese families identify the bodies and investigate the “operators of these illegal boats and their intermediaries,” the Taiwan National Police Agency said.
She added that the Taiwan Coast Guard will assist in the investigation.
Southeast Asia has long been a center of human trafficking, and victims end up on boats in the South China Sea. Shipwrecks are common, especially in the waters between Taiwan and Japan.
In total, the authorities of the autonomous island said they found at least 20 bodies at sea between February 18 and March 29.
At least four of them are being identified, police said, while nine have been confirmed as Taiwanese who fell overboard either accidentally or by suicide.
There is no indication that the deaths of Taiwanese nationals are linked to the bodies of Vietnamese found at sea, the agency added.
“We will also work with relevant Vietnamese law enforcement agencies to continue to track down illegal smuggling networks in Vietnam,” the agency added.