TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) condemned malicious online claims linking Taiwanese manufacturers and the government to a pager explosion incident on Friday (Sept. 20), urging citizens to refrain from spreading misinformation.
Speaking at the Legislative Yuan, Cho reassured the public that pagers exported by Taiwanese manufacturers to Europe and the U.S. are "safe." Earlier in the week, pagers used by Hezbollah (黎巴嫩真主黨) in Lebanon exploded, causing casualties. The devices were allegedly produced by Taiwan-based Gold Apollo Company (金阿波羅公司).
In response to inquiries, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA, 經濟部) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部) clarified that Taiwan did not directly export the pagers to Lebanon. Authorities are currently investigating the matter. Cho noted that Taiwan exports approximately 260,000 pagers annually to Europe and the U.S., all of which are "safe."
National security agencies are now tracking the source of the false information. Cho emphasized that Taiwan is committed to uncovering the truth, reiterating the country's dedication to peace, democracy, and human rights while rejecting any involvement in such incidents.