TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Control Yuan censured the education ministry on Tuesday (Sept. 3) for failing to protect the lives of interns after a Vietnamese student died while on work placement, and for not making necessary improvements after the death.

The government auditor issued a press release that said a Vietnamese student at New Taipei’s Lee-Ming Institute of Technology was crushed to death while interning at a baking factory in April 2023, per CNA. The student was on a study program formulated as part of the New Southbound Policy, which aims to improve ties with countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Australasia.  

The Control Yuan’s investigation found that the ministry had “practically no threshold or requirements for the selection of off-campus internship institutions.” It also found that the ministry had been negligent of student safety concerns following the death.

Control Yuan member Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲) said at a press conference that the factory where the intern died received a near-perfect safety score from an internal review in July 2023, which the Lee-Ming Institute of Technology cited as a reason to keep sending student interns there. However, Wang said that the Control Yuan's own inspection of the premises in May 2023 revealed 13 violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Interns were finally transferred after complaining of unsafe conditions, but the new facility had the same safety issue that caused the death of the Vietnamese student. 

The Control Yuan said that although the education ministry had committed to improvements, a surprise inspection in January revealed other safety issues, including a lack of hazard warning signs and walk-in freezers that could only be opened from the outside.

In response to the investigation, the education ministry said it has ordered universities to conduct reviews to ensure all businesses accepting student interns adhere to health and safety regulations.