The Ministry of National Defense on Saturday filed a complaint against a McDonald’s restaurant in Tainan’s Sinying District (新營) for dressing its employees in military uniforms on New Year’s Eve.
Numerous McDonald’s branches around the nation dressed their cashiers in various costumes, such as nurses, as the Taoist God of Wealth or as the Jade Emperor, but the ministry said that the Sinying McDonald’s “went too far” having its cashiers wear army colonel uniforms.
The restaurant’s use of military uniforms without ministry approval violated Article 7-3 of the Armed Forces Uniform Act (陸海空軍服制條例), and Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of China (中華民國刑法), which forbid wearing “the uniform or badge or make use of the official title of a public official” in public without authorization, the ministry said in a news release.
The McDonald’s branch could face NT$15,000 (US$453) in accumulated fines under the Criminal Code’s Article 159, because violators are punishable by up to NT$500, the ministry said, adding that Tainan’s military police had “collected evidence” for legal action to be pursued by its legal affairs department.
Citing a gag order from McDonald’s, most employees at the Sinying restaurant remained silent, but one unnamed employee said that the idea of wearing military uniforms came out during a group discussion and that it was unfortunate that the restaurant received negative publicity as a result of their actions.
The incident was met with mixed reactions on Internet discussion forums.
Some supported the ministry, while others left comments on the ministry’s Facebook page with references to a scandal that broke out last year, when television personality Janet Lee (李蒨蓉) posted photographs from the 601st Air Cavalry Brigade’s attack helicopter hangar, after receiving an unauthorized invitation to the base by special forces pilot Lao Nai-cheng (勞乃成).
“Why are some people allowed to tinker with Apache pilots’ helmets bought by the government, but others cannot sell hamburgers wearing uniforms they bought themselves?” a message said.
Additional reporting by Wang Tien-ping, Yang Chin-cheng and Chang Hui-wen
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