All the soldiers involved in a scheme by a club operator who told them they could receive training to become club hosts or male prostitutes for a small “down payment” will be disciplined, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Kaohsiung police said late last month they had busted a fraud ring that deceived more than 1,000 men by claiming it would train them to become well-paid club hosts or male prostitutes for a training fee.
During the investigation, Kaohsiung police discovered that about 60 of the victims were members of the military and informed the ministry of the matter.
Ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said an internal investigation revealed that more than 40 soldiers were cheated out of money, while 20 had provided their personal information to the fraud ring, but did not make any payments.
The men involved in the scandal were mostly volunteer soldiers, Yu said, adding that the highest--ranking was a captain.
The personnel were army, combined logistics commands and marine officers, Yu said.
Military personnel will now be taught how to avoid scams when looking for a job, he said.
The fraud ring in question was Paris Entertainment Co, which allegedly told interviewees they could earn a minimum of NT$70,000 per month as club hosts.
After paying a NT$200,000 fee, the men received a short period of training before being informed they did not qualify and that the money was non-refundable.
Police said some individuals paid more money to be allowed to continue training and a few — including soldiers — lost as much as NT$600,000 in total.
It took director Chong Keat Aun (張吉安) nearly a decade to complete Snow in Midsummer (五月雪), a deft chronicle of Malaysia’s May 13 incident told through one woman’s search for her brother and father. Although only his second feature, it led the field at yesterday’s Golden Horse Awards with nine nominations. Chong said it had been a struggle to get people to share their memories of the intercommunal violence following the 1969 national election, known among the country’s ethnic Chinese community as “513.” “My father, for example, would shut the conversation down if my mother or grandma even mentioned the topic,” Chong said
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A new poll of Taiwanese voters found the top opposition candidate for president jumping past the ruling party’s hopeful into the lead position ahead of January’s election — the latest twist in a drama-filled race. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had an approval rating of 31.9 percent versus 29.2 percent for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the poll released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed. The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), ranked third with 23.6 percent, according to the survey conducted
A New Taipei City hotpot restaurant could be fined after a rat dropped from the ceiling and landed on a customer’s plate last week, the New Taipei City Department of Health said yesterday after conducting an inspection. A woman recently posted on the “I am a Banciao resident” (我是板橋人) social media group saying that she had been eating with a friend at Chien Tu Shabu Shabu Hotpot Restaurant’s Shuangshi B branch in Banciao District (板橋). “While still eating, a big rat suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on a plate next to a hotpot,” she said. “Later on, a member of
RSS