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Prosecutors disagree over legality of hostess behavior

Prosecutors are at odds over whether bar hostesses that offer sexual services in private rooms should be considered guilty of illegal activity.

The debate emerges following the Miaoli prosecutors' decision last week not to indict four foreign bar hostesses for playing sexual games with their customers inside a KTV private room.

Miaoli police in January arrested four Vietnamese bar hostesses in a KTV in the county's Toufen Township (頭份) when they were dancing in front of customers naked.

But Miaoli prosecutors last week said that because the bar hostesses were dancing naked in a KTV's private rooms, they did not commit public indecency (公然猥褻罪).

The prosecutor said that the clause regulates indecent behavior in public as behavior seen by unrelated individuals. But since the bar's private rooms are considered private places, the four Vietnamese hostesses therefore did not commit public indecency.

Ilan prosecutors last month also announced they did not indict three Vietnamese bar hostesses who engaged in similar activities. But in a separate case, a Taiwanese bar hostess was indicted by other Ilan prosecutors for dancing naked in a private KTV room.

Taichung prosecutors in April also indicted three Taiwanese who operated a hostess bar and two Vietnamese hostesses who were found naked in a room with customers.

Police said they would continue cracking down on sexual activities at hostess bars, whether prosecutors bring the cases to court or not.

Police usually visit hostess bars pretending to be customers, but reveal their true identities when hostesses take off their clothes or offer to play sexual games with "customers."

Those bars usually have private rooms with karaoke machines and sofas, with customers paying for the company of a hostess. Hostesses sing, drink or dine with customers. They also play guessing games with guests and play dice with them. And sometimes when the women lose the games, they take off their clothes and let the guests touch them. When guests lose, they give the hostesses tips.

An amendment to the law could solve the controversy.
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