May-December couple among 3 Vietnamese nabbed in SW. Taiwan

西南台灣五至十二月夫妻中有3名越南人被捕

May-December couple among 3 Vietnamese busted in Chiayi, Taiwan for overstaying visas


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Three Vietnamese nationals who were arrested for overstaying their visas on Thursday (July 18) included a May-December couple.

The Chiayi Zhong Pu Police Department on Friday (July 19) announced that three Vietnamese migrant workers who had overstayed their visas had been arrested the previous day. Among those arrested was a couple that included a woman who was 24 years older than her boyfriend, and officers described their relationship as "mother and child love," reported UDN.

According to a press release issued on Friday, the Zhongpu Precinct of the Chiayi County Police Bureau and Yiren Village Police Station on Thursday (July 18) joined a special unit of the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to raid a residence in Yiren Village of Zhongpu Township. Inside, they found two males and one female, all of whom were Vietnamese nationals.



When police asked the three about their relationships and whether they had worked illegally in Taiwan, the 50-year-old Vietnamese woman voluntarily admitted that she had intended to work part-time in Taiwan. However, she had yet to secure employment by the time the police raided the home she was staying in.

The woman then told police that she was living with a 26-year-old man as she searched for a job. Although there is a 24-year age gap between them, the woman said the two became romantically involved.

She then told police that it was OK to her that she was not able to earn money to send back to Vietnam because she felt it was more important to find "the ideal partner." "Besides, my other half is fresh meat, which is also comforting to my family back in Vietnam," said the woman according to ETtoday.

Police said the three Vietnamese workers were transferred to the Chiayi City Service Center of the NIA for overstaying their visas as they await repatriation to Vietnam. Meanwhile, authorities will search for the employers who had illegally hired the Vietnamese workers.

(Chiayi County Police Bureau photo)