Taipei: Five individuals detained on suspicion of orchestrating the illegal entry of over 600 Chinese nationals into Taiwan under the guise of dental treatment plans have been released on bail, with amounts ranging from NT$1 million to NT$300,000, as announced by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

According to Focus Taiwan, the primary suspect, identified as Pan, allegedly masterminded the operation at a Taipei dental clinic and was granted bail set at NT$1 million (US$30,734) following questioning alongside nine other suspects. The clinic's CEO, Chen, was released on NT$300,000 bail, while a dentist named Wang was granted NT$200,000 bail.

Additionally, an assistant at the clinic, Chang, and a travel agency operator, Hsiang, were released on NT$100,000 bail each, as per the prosecutors' statements. The scheme reportedly involved Pan organizing dental treatment plans enabling Chinese nationals to secure medical visas to enter Taiwan from December 2022 to May 2023, a period when travel restrictions were still enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once in Taiwan, the Chinese nationals supposedly participated in illegal activities, including prostitution and other unauthorized work, as well as tourism, according to the prosecutors. The dental clinic was reportedly linked with a Ministry of Health and Welfare initiative aimed at promoting the internationalization of Taiwan's medical services.

Investigators indicated that Pan collaborated with Hsiang, who was responsible for managing the arrangements and document processing for the Chinese nationals. The investigation was a joint effort by the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the National Immigration Agency, and special task forces in Taipei and Tainan.

On Wednesday, authorities conducted searches at nine locations, bringing in 10 individuals, including Pan, Hsiang, Chen, Wang, and Chang, for questioning. Prosecutors stated that the five individuals released on bail are suspected of breaching the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, as well as sections of Taiwan's Criminal Code pertaining to document falsification.