Missing migrant worker arrested in Taichung after fleeing police check and ramming patrol car

Aug 23, 2026

A Vietnamese migrant worker who had gone missing from his job was caught in Taichung after refusing a traffic stop, and drug tests came back positive — bad news for Taiwan's handling of undocumented workers.

  • Police in Taichung's Dali District tried to pull over a car for traffic violations late Friday night, and the driver sped off.
  • The car crashed into a police patrol car during the chase; the driver ran but was tackled along with a passenger.
  • The driver turned out to be a Vietnamese migrant worker who had left his registered job; the passenger was a legally employed Vietnamese worker.
  • A saliva test showed drugs in his system, and he had run red lights and driven the wrong way down the road.

Outlook: The driver faces charges for endangering the public and obstructing officers, and cases like this keep pressure on Taiwan to tighten tracking of migrant workers who go missing.

← Latest · Archive