TAIWAN AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE MAJOR ALIEN

UNCLAS TAIPEI 003527

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/TC AND CA/FPP
HONG KONG PLEASE PASS TO DHS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS ASEC PGOV TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE MAJOR ALIEN
SMUGGLING RING


1. (SBU) Summary: Local authorities are actively
investigating a Taiwan-based alien smuggling ring that uses
Taiwan national ID cards and passports belonging to
aboriginal people from eastern Taiwan to smuggle illegal
Mainland Chinese aliens into the United States and Canada.
Information routinely provided by AIT regarding fraudulent
use of Taiwan documents led to this investigation. End
Summary.


2. (U) As reported in the Taiwan print and television media
on August 23, 2005, local authorities are actively
investigating a Taiwan-based alien smuggling ring that uses
Taiwan national ID cards and passports belonging to
aboriginal people from the Hualien area of eastern Taiwan to
smuggle illegal Mainland Chinese aliens into the United
States and Canada via a third country. According to local
media reports, the ring used two methods to obtain the
passports. In the first method, they purchased the
aborigines' national ID cards, altered the photos, and then
applied for Taiwan passports using the altered ID cards.
Local investigators believe that one or more travel agencies
may have worked with a government official in issuing these
fraudulent passports.


3. (U) The second method was to bring the aborigines to AIT
to apply for U.S. visas. According to newspaper reports,
because the U.S. government requires that every tourist visa
applicant must appear in person for interview, the smuggling
ring altered the passport photo to meld the features of the
original passport holder and those of a specific Mainland
Chinese immigrant, in order to "fool AIT interviewing
officers." Regardless of method, the aborigines were then
given a free 5-7 day trip to another Southeast Asian country
(Cambodia and Vietnam are specifically mentioned in the
media reports) plus NT$50,000 (approximately US$1515) with
the condition that upon arrival in the third country, they
were to "lend" their passports to the "tour leader"
(actually a member of the smuggling ring). The "tour
leader" then passed them to Mainland Chinese who had already
arrived in the country, and escorted them to the United
States or Canada. Immediately upon successful entry, the
"tour leader" then took back the passports, rushed back to
Southeast Asia, and returned the passports to their original
owners. For this, the smuggling ring received US$70,000 per
head from the illegal Mainland Chinese aliens.


4. (U) According to the press reports, aboriginal villages
of eastern Taiwan are prime targets for this smuggling ring,
as the people there tend to be poorer. The aborigines
interviewed by the police admitted that they knew what they
were doing, though they claimed they did not know that what
they were doing was illegal. They stated that they could
not resist the NT$50,000 fee, which is half a year's
household budget in these villages.


5. (U) As best we can tell, this investigation started in
early 2005 when AIT's Fraud Prevention Unit forwarded to the
Taiwan authorities reports of illegal Mainland Chinese
trying to enter the United States using fraudulently
obtained Taiwan passports. Many of these reports, provided
to AIT by Department of Homeland Security offices at several
U.S. ports-of-entry, now appear to be related to the current
investigation.


5. AIT's Fraud Prevention Unit is continuing to work closely
with local authorities to gather additional information on
the individuals involved in this case, and will update this
report as additional information becomes available.

KEEGAN