Taiwanese Company Claims Exploding Pagers are Manufactured in Hungary
Gold Apollo denies any involvement in the design or manufacturing of the pagers, stating that they were made by a Budapest-based company.
The Taiwanese pager manufacturer, whose branding was found on the exploded beepers in Lebanon, clarifies that they were actually manufactured by a Hungarian company.
The specific model of pagers used in the detonations in Lebanon was created by BAC Consulting, a company based in Budapest, according to Gold Apollo from Taiwan.
Gold Apollo explains that they simply licensed out their brand to the company and had no part in producing the devices.
Upon analyzing images of the destroyed pagers, Reuters observed a format and stickers consistent with Gold Apollo’s pagers.
“The product did not belong to us. It just carried our brand,” stated Hsu Ching-kuang, the founder and president of Gold Apollo, during a press conference at their offices in New Taipei, Taiwan.
In a statement, the company confirmed that the AR-924 model was manufactured and sold by BAC.
Gold Apollo granted authorization to BAC to use their brand trademark for product sales in specific regions, but emphasized that BAC handled the design and manufacturing of the products entirely.
Very Strange
Ching-kuang expressed concern over the unusual remittance process of payments coming from the Middle East.
He also stated that he was unaware of how the pagers could have been rigged to explode.
During the press conference, police officials and representatives from Taiwan’s economy ministry visited Gold Apollo.
The ministry further stated that there were no direct pager exports from Taiwan to Lebanon in their records.
Ching-kuang emphasized that Gold Apollo was a victim in this incident and planned to take legal action against the licensee responsible.
“We may not be a large company but we are a responsible one,” he affirmed. “This is very embarrassing.”
Ching-kuang also mentioned to NBC News that, “We are not a big company, but we are a responsible company that cares about our products.”
BAC Consulting has not responded to The Epoch Times’ request for comment at this time.
Unclear
As of Tuesday evening local time, the state-run National News Agency of Lebanon reported approximately 2,800 injuries and eight fatalities from the pager explosions, including a child.
The identity of those injured in the pager explosions could not be immediately confirmed by The Epoch Times.
Hezbollah’s ongoing conflict with Israeli forces near the Lebanon-Israel border has led to escalating tensions in the region.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the pager explosions as a criminal act of Israeli aggression and a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Prime Minister Mikati extended condolences to Ali Ammar, a Lebanese Parliament member affiliated with Hezbollah, for the loss of his son in the explosions.
The Israel Defense Forces opted not to provide a comment on the incident.
Reuters and Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.
