16 Bodies of Floating Corpses Identified 林右昌:20具浮屍確認16人 與偷渡案無關

Police said they have been investigating the discovery of 20 bodies that were found floating along the central and southern coast since mid-February. Among them, 16 bodies have been identified.  

Many floating corpses were recently discovered along the central and southern coast of Taiwan, shocking the country. Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang responded by saying 20 floating corpses have been found along the coast since Feb. 18. Among them, 16 bodies have been identified. Nine are Taiwanese and seven are Vietnamese. Identities of four others are yet to be confirmed.

Lin Yu-chang, Interior Minister: “Nine of them have been confirmed to be Taiwanese citizens. Death may have been suicide or due to falling into the sea. ”

Lin said that the nine Taiwanese citizens fell into the sea or committed suicide, and it has nothing to do with human trafficking. Legislators were concerned about the possibility of human trafficking. They asked if the deaths were the acts of human trafficking rings in Shanghai and could Taiwanese nationals be accomplices.

Lin Yu-chang, Interior Minister: “Nothing related to human trafficking has been found yet.”

Tsai Ming-yen, Director-General, NSB: “We will investigate whether this case involves human trafficking or the operation of smuggling groups. Can the Taiwanese nationals be ruled out as being trafficked or were they accomplices? I think it's currently being investigated. We will respect the investigative results. ”

Many floating corpses have been discovered recently, which coincides with President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas visit. The timing is sensitive. Lo Chih-chiang, a former KMT Taipei City Councilor, pointed out that Ma's administration was in power for 8 years and never saw so many cases of floating corpses. DPP legislator Lo Chih-cheng refuted the data and pointed out that the year with the most floating corpses was 2008, numbering a total of 152. He called on the Coast Guard to clarify the false information.

Lo Chih-cheng, Legislator (DPP): “You have to explain a lot of numbers to the outside world. You don't have to say that Ma Ying-jeou's administration had the highest number. But it's important that you respond to any misinformation immediately. And people may say "you see, so many dead while the president's traveling." But if you really look at the numbers, this isn't correct. Director, do you agree? ”
Chou Mei-wu, Director-General, Coast Guard Admin.: “Yes, I do. ”

Chou said according to statistics from the past 10 years, the lowest number of corpses found in a year was 87 and the highest number was 131. However, the number of floating corpses in March this year was indeed higher than March's historical average. The High Prosecutors Office has launched an investigation. 

台灣中南部沿海近期發現多具浮屍震驚國內社會，內政部長林右昌30日回應，從2月18日至今沿海發現20具浮屍，其中有16人確認身分，9名是台灣人、7人是越南國籍，還有4人身分待確認。

內政部長林右昌指出：「有9具已經確認是國人，是因為輕生或者是落海所導致。」

林右昌表示，9名國人是落海或輕生，與偷渡案無關，民眾黨立委陳琬惠關切牽涉人口販運的可能性，追問是否被人蛇集團在海上丟包，國人會不會是共犯？

內政部長林右昌回應：「人口販運的部分，目前還沒有發現相關的事情。」

國安局長蔡明彥說：「會來查察到底這個案子有沒有涉及到人口販運，或是偷渡走私集團的運作。」至於台灣籍可否排除是人口販運？蔡明彥表示，「我想現在偵辦過程當中，我們就尊重後續的查處跟調查結果。」

國內爆出多起浮屍案，適逢總統蔡英文出訪，時機敏感。前國民黨台北市議員羅智強指出，馬政府執政8年沒見過這麼多浮屍案，痛批蔡政府執政治安敗壞，民進黨立委羅致政拿出數據反駁，指浮屍最多在2008年、共有152件浮屍，喊話海巡署澄清錯假訊息。

民進黨立委羅致政提醒：「很多數字你們要對外來說明，未必要去講說馬英九以前最高，可是任何錯假訊息第一時間回應是很重要的，而且總統這次出訪，講說總統出訪你看死了那麼多，如果真的看數字的話並不是如此。署長你同意吧?」海巡署長周美伍回應同意。

周美伍表示，根據過去10年統計，最低是87人、最高131人，但今（2023）年3月出現的浮屍數目，確實高於過往同月均數，高檢署已啟動調查。