Tainan police on Wednesday detained three people for alleged public indecency and violation of the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) after a short video clip that appeared to show two people mimicking a sex act in public, albeit from behind a shadow play theater screen.
The video quickly went viral after it was uploaded to the Internet on Monday, stirring outrage because the pair had a young child with them.
Police said the video showed a couple acting out sexual intercourse positions behind a screen that had been erected in Yanshui District (鹽水) by a local theater company, the Tainaner Ensemble (台南人劇團), for the Yuehching Lantern Festival.
The Tainan Cultural Affairs Bureau received complaints and reported the video to the police.
An investigation led to a 33-year-old man named Yang Shih-yi (楊士毅), who calls himself an “performance artist,” and his girlfriend, a 24-year-old woman surnamed Tsao (曹).
Police said that Yang and Tsao visited the shadow puppet theater location along with an Australian friend, identified only as Lawrence, and three others while in the district for the annual Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival (鹽水蜂炮).
Called in for questioning, Yang reportedly told police that he had flexed his muscles on the stage while Tsao was off-stage, looking after Lawrence’s child, when he had the idea of miming having sex on stage with Tsao and having Lawrence film the action.
The video clip was then edited and posted online, the police said.
Cultural Affairs Bureau Director Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山) said Yang and the others should be disciplined for the alleged indecent actions.
The Tainan Social Welfare Bureau said the suspects could face a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 if convicted of violating Article 49 of the act. It said it would decide whether to seek charges after it reviews the records of the police questioning and other evidence.
If the guardian of a child is proven to be the perpetrator of an indecent act, the guardian could be forced to undergo between four and 50 hours of counseling, the social welfare bureau said, followed by periodic visits by bureau staff to monitor the behavior of the guardian.
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