Taiwan Labels Thailand as High-Risk Travel Destination

[webfact]

CNA, MOI photo courtesy by: Taiwan News

 

In a decisive move, Taiwan has designated Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos as high-risk travel destinations due to their connections with burgeoning fraud rings. Announced by Taiwan's Ministry of Interior on Friday, this development highlights growing concerns over regional crime syndicates specifically targeting international visitors.

 

Travellers flying to these countries will now see explicit warnings printed on their airline tickets. Additionally, they are urged to download a dedicated travel safety app developed by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enhance their security awareness while abroad.

 

This heightened caution comes on the heels of various incidents in recent years where Taiwanese citizens were lured into working in fraud rings, particularly in Cambodia and Myanmar.

 

The release earlier this week of 260 foreign nationals from a scam centre in Myanmar, including seven Taiwanese, has underscored the gravity of these operations. The freed individuals are currently undergoing interviews with Thai police and are expected to be repatriated soon.

 

To mitigate these risks, Taiwan's National Immigration Agency and the Aviation Police Bureau will intensify their efforts to prevent Taiwanese citizens from inadvertently becoming entangled in these fraudulent networks. Airlines are asked to participate by incorporating safety warnings onto electronic tickets.

 

The travel safety app, available since 2022, offers vital guidance to tourists about potential threats and established safety protocols. It aims to equip Taiwanese travellers with the knowledge needed to navigate these high-risk areas wisely.

 

This proactive stance by Taiwan underscores the importance of international cooperation and vigilance in counteracting fraud and ensuring the safety of global tourists. As Taiwan continues to safeguard its citizens, these measures illustrate the ongoing commitment to confronting the risks posed by such international crime syndicates, reported Taiwan News.

 

-- 2025-02-17

 

 

[daveAustin]

lol I agree with that, but coming from the country with more scammers than all those put together is laughable. 

[Tropicalevo]

Thailand (and the others) should respond with a 'high-risk travel destination warning' for Taiwan.

It can't be long before it is invaded and they all become Chinese citizens.

 

[spidermike007]

I think this is a somewhat silly warning considering the fact that 99% of crime here is Thai on Thai, any scams seem to affect a tiny pinhead of people who visit. But timidity seems to be an ever-growing trend in this bizarre world of ours. 

[ignore it]

PM to discuss this with Xi.

[Iron Tongue]

6 hours ago, daveAustin said:

lol I agree with that, but coming from the country with more scammers than all those put together is laughable. 

So, a China 'bot exposes itself.

And how did you come to this ridiculous conclusion?

[billd766]

Thailand probably IS a safe country to travel to. However there are many places that tourists go to which are not as safe as other places, at the wrong time of day or night.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

In a decisive move, Taiwan has designated Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos as high-risk travel destinations due to their connections with burgeoning fraud rings. Announced by Taiwan's Ministry of Interior on Friday, this development highlights growing concerns over regional crime syndicates specifically targeting international visitors.

TAT will have something to say about this... the image is under attack

[lordgrinz]

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

TAT will have something to say about this... the image is under attack

 

That ship has already sailed.

[TheFishman1]

Thailand especially the police with road checks and all that they’re the biggest scammers of all and how much money they collect under the table every month now they’re talking about bank accounts for foreigners they need to look at the bank account open by their own people they get paid a few dollars and they open up an account for some scammers TIT

[Aussie999]

58 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I think this is a somewhat silly warning considering the fact that 99% of crime here is Thai on Thai, any scams seem to affect a tiny pinhead of people who visit. But timidity seems to be an ever-growing trend in this bizarre world of ours. 

It is a country's duty to warn it's citizens, something you not seem to understand

[Aussie999]

7 hours ago, daveAustin said:

lol I agree with that, but coming from the country with more scammers than all those put together is laughable. 

I did not know this... I was aware of China, but not Taiwan 

[kimothai]

Good!  Even if most tourists aren't affected by the scammers, they should at least be made aware of it.  I think tourists should also be made aware of the air quality during the burning season.

[Guderian]

1 hour ago, ignore it said:

PM to discuss this with Xi.

 

Is that the acting PM or the actual PM?

[Cabradelmar]

In this case, the label is earned.

[John Drake]

What about high risk for health and air pollution?

[Presnock]

3 minutes ago, John Drake said:

What about high risk for health and air pollution?

yeah finally, here in BKK I was one of the few that regularly reported daily unsafe 2.5 micron levels every day....now the govt after over at least a year is admitting it too.  Biggest chunk of the local news in Thai daily!  

[PomPolo]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Thailand (and the others) should respond with a 'high-risk travel destination warning' for Taiwan.

It can't be long before it is invaded and they all become Chinese citizens.

 

Beat me to that one can't be any more dangerous than being under the constant threat of Chinese invasion

[outsider]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I think this is a somewhat silly warning considering the fact that 99% of crime here is Thai on Thai, any scams seem to affect a tiny pinhead of people who visit. But timidity seems to be an ever-growing trend in this bizarre world of ours. 

 

It seems you have misread/misunderstood the article. Or maybe you didn't read this part: 

 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

The release earlier this week of 260 foreign nationals from a scam centre in Myanmar, including seven Taiwanese, has underscored the gravity of these operations. The freed individuals...

 

This article is about fraud rings that make people work for them, mostly involuntarily. And they target foreigners. Not Thais. They are either coerced, threatened, forced or even abducted and made to work for these fraud rings - place scam calls etc. Maybe you were out when news of these incidences were shared, posted and broadcasted across quite a few news channels and platforms. It's fairly recent so I think if you Googled for it, you'd still find them - in case you want to read up a bit about this.

 

This article does not address the scam victims downstream, whether they are Thais, or not.

[RayOday]

The irony! Chinese mafias set up scam centers in the most corrupt countries in SE Asia. Countries where they could completely buy the local, and many cases, higher level government officials. Thailand has one foot in the door so if big brother CCP requests help they deliver at some press worthy level. The CCP were finally motivated to act to 1) deflect from other serious export crimes they commit e.g. Fentanyl and it's precursors and 2) the scam centers were getting more greedy than they already were and directed some of  their scams towards mainland Chinese as well as fraudulent offers to work as well as kidnapping. The mainland Chinese complained en masse to the Public Security Bureau and the issue taken on by the bosses in Beijing. Its rather damning that it took the mafia to aim at China before China stepped up to work with other countries to get these filthy monsters running. It ain't over yet. Stay frosty.

[Captain Flack]

Off topic post removed

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, outsider said:

 

It seems you have misread/misunderstood the article. Or maybe you didn't read this part: 

 

 

This article is about fraud rings that make people work for them, mostly involuntarily. And they target foreigners. Not Thais. They are either coerced, threatened, forced or even abducted and made to work for these fraud rings - place scam calls etc. Maybe you were out when news of these incidences were shared, posted and broadcasted across quite a few news channels and platforms. It's fairly recent so I think if you Googled for it, you'd still find them - in case you want to read up a bit about this.

 

This article does not address the scam victims downstream, whether they are Thais, or not.

Again it's a pinhead of the people who visit, so while a warning about caution is likely prudent it's not really something that Taiwanese or Chinese people have to worry about too much. I saw the news I just didn't pay it a lot of regard. Though being kidnapped and made to work in a scam center would be a terrible fate, it's very likely that getting hurt while crossing the street at home is far more dangerous. 

[black tabby12345]

Don't go to Thailand due to Higher Fraud Risk?

Overreaction at laughable level.

The funniest kind of Overseas Safety Information I have ever heard of.

 

It is often a lot more exaggerated than reality.

But not as absurd as this...

 

[black tabby12345]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

But timidity seems to be an ever-growing trend in this bizarre world of ours. 

 

Chickens better stay put inside own cages; so they won’t be claimed by foxes and other predators...

[black tabby12345]

I thought Taiwanese people(in general) are lot smarter(also according to my personal experience with them in the past).

Until I see this headline...

[black tabby12345]

14 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Thailand (and the others) should respond with a 'high-risk travel destination warning' for Taiwan.

It can't be long before it is invaded and they all become Chinese citizens.

 

 

In  terms of Security Threat, Taiwan is the one facing the biggest...

 

   calls it their "Core Interest"＝object of takeover by force

[Selatan]

1 hour ago, black tabby12345 said:

I thought Taiwanese people(in general) are lot smarter(also according to my personal experience with them in the past).

Until I see this headline...

The Taiwanese were in the scamming business earlier than the mainlanders. Here in Malaysia, some years back, the police caught many Taiwanese scammers and deported them back to Taiwan but the Taiwan gov simply released them so after that the authorities deported them to Mainland China instead and from then onwards the Taiwanese scammers didn't dare to operate from Malaysia anymore.

[Lorry]

Many Taiwanese are too scared to visit Thailand anyway.

Too many have been kidnapped by the scam enterprises in SE Asia.

 

Taiwanese scam workers are valuable because they can speak Chinese (mainland China is still the biggest market for online scams), they can speak English (the biggest emerging market for online scams is the US), and many have IT knowledge (scam bosses still don't want to pay the kind of salaries and perks their brethren in California pay)

[Puccini]

When I read the topic title I thought that it was the murderous air pollution that prompted Thaiwan's travel warning for Thailand.

[black tabby12345]

13 hours ago, Selatan said:

The Taiwanese were in the scamming business earlier than the mainlanders. Here in Malaysia, some years back, the police caught many Taiwanese scammers and deported them back to Taiwan but the Taiwan gov simply released them so after that the authorities deported them to Mainland China instead and from then onwards the Taiwanese scammers didn't dare to operate from Malaysia anymore.

 

Hi, you are in Malaysia?

 

Taiwan's govt kicked  out own criminals to the mainland of China, after they were expelled from Malaysia?

Quite amazing.

 

Thank you for sharing what you knew about scamming business over there.

 

Have a good day.