Kaohsiung police yesterday said that while private hostels are often used to conduct criminal activity, they had yet to receive reports that pornographic videos were being made by using hidden cameras to film unsuspecting visitors.
“We haven’t heard about such activity at private hostels, but we will keep an eye out, now that there are allegations,” said Chi Ming-mo (紀明謀), head of the Kaohsiung City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Corps.
Rumors have emerged recently that some private hostel owners have installed hidden cameras in rooms to film visitors having intercourse and then sold the clips at adult video stores.
While the allegations have yet to be investigated, police said they were aware of other illegal activities being conducted in such establishments.
“We have discovered cases of prostitution and drug dealing as well as drug using in hostel rooms,” Chi said.
Kaohsiung Innkeepers Association chairman Liu Kun-fu (劉坤福) said private hostels could be a blind spot for public security.
“Most hostels are not well managed. The owners are more like landlords. They are not responsible for maintaining security in the rooms,” Liu said.
Kaohsiung and Pingtung Tourism Industry Union chairman Frank Lin (林富男) said there were about 30 private hostels in Kaohsiung that were being run without operation licenses from the government. He said that because he had never heard of the allegations or watched the alleged videos, he could not confirm or comment on the case.
Private hostels, however, must be strictly evaluated and managed by the government, he said.
“We need some black and white regulations for these hostels so that the improper ones [hostels] can be removed,” Lin said. “We need to establish a screening mechanism as soon as possible.”
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