Migrant worker’s death at hands of Taiwan police highlights failings in labour system
- Wealthier parts of Asia have long relied on foreign workers, but Vietnamese man’s death highlights how vulnerable they are to exploitation and abuse
- Police officer shot runaway migrant nine times during confrontation, but was given a suspended jail term on the grounds of his inexperience
In July a Taiwanese court found 22-year-old police officer Chen Chong-wen guilty of negligent manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a runaway Vietnamese migrant worker.
The death of Nguyen Quoc Phi, 27, who was shot nine times, is one of many tragedies in Taiwan and other wealthy parts of Asia that for decades have imported foreign workers to meet their domestic labour needs.
On August 31, 2017, Chen and a community watch officer encountered Nguyen in a remote area of northwestern Taiwan ,where they had been called to investigate the suspected theft of a car. As it turned out, the vehicle was not stolen, and Nguyen had gone there to swim in a river.
Unable to understand Chinese and afraid Chen would discover that he was working illegally, Nguyen ran, only to be caught and pepper sprayed by the community watch officer, who was slightly injured in the altercation.
Nguyen received nine gunshot wounds at Chen’s hands, five of them after he had fallen to the ground.
