PARAGUAY IMMIGRATION ARRESTED 80 TAIWANESE OUT OF WHICH 57 MEN AND 23 WOMEN FOR WORKING WITHOUT WORK PERMITS IN ILLEGAL GAMBLING RING TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday confirmed the arrest and detention of a total of 80 Taiwanese nationals in the nations South American ally Paraguay for allegedly working in an illegal gambling ring. MOFA spokeswoman Anna Kao (高安) yesterday said the Consulate-General of the R.O.C. in Paraguays Eastern City has established contact with local police authorities after they saw reports of the case. After confirming their identities as R.O.C citizens, the representative office immediately sent its staff to visit these nationals in detention. “The Taiwanese Embassy in the ally will continue to keep close contact with Paraguay police authorities to learn the latest developments of the incident,” she added. The spokeswomans comment confirmed an AFP report yesterday that made public the arrest. Quoting Alfredo Acosta, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, the AFP report said the 80 Taiwanese — 57 men and 23 women — were arrested during police raids at houses in Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil, overnight Wednesday to Thursday. The Taiwanese were believed to have been illegally exploited as workers in a human- and drug-trafficking ring. Upon their arrest, Taiwanese workers were found using computers and various IT devices in cramped conditions.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 08:11:56 +0000