Taiwan firm denies manufacturing pagers used in Lebanon blasts

Taipei City, Sep 18 (IANS) A Taiwanese company on Wednesday denied manufacturing the pagers involved in detonations across Lebanon, which resulted in the deaths of at least nine people and left nearly 3,000 others, including Hezbollah fighters and medics injured, local media reported.

Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co. said that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon were not made by it, but by a Hungarian company which has a license to use its brand.

"The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it," Gold Apollo founder and President Hsu Ching-Kuang was quoted as saying by the Taipei Times as he addressed the media at the company's offices in New Taipei City on Wednesday.

Citing images of the destroyed pagers, which included stickers and designs quite similar to those produced by Gold Apollo, some reports had asserted that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from the Taiwan-based company.

However, Gold Apollo issued a statement refuting these claims, clarifying that the pagers in question were manufactured by Hungarian company BAC under a brand trademark agreement.

Gold Apollo emphasised that it only authorised the use of its brand but was not involved in the design or production of the AR-924 pager model linked to the blasts.

"Gold Apollo Co., Ltd. has established a long-term partnership with BAC Consulting KFT. According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC," the statement read.

"Regarding the AR-924 pager model mentioned in the recent media reports, we clarify that this model is produced and sold by BAC. Our company only provides the brand trademark authorisation and is not involved in the design or manufacturing of this product. Gold Apollo Co., Ltd. always complies with relevant regulations and maintains transparent and compliant partnerships with our collaborators," it added.

Hsu Ching-Kuang mentioned that the company had no knowledge of how the pagers had been rigged to explode.

Expressing the company's embarrassment over the situation, Hsu stated: "We may not be a large company, but we are a responsible one".

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has announced that it is conducting a "security and scientific investigation" into the cause of the explosions, which were allegedly triggered by explosives planted inside the pagers months earlier.

Gold Apollo, which claims it is also a victim of the incident, said it will cooperate fully in any follow-up investigations.

Taipei Times reported that Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has confirmed there were no records of direct exports to Lebanon, and it plans to assist the company in its investigation.

The pagers were reportedly powered by ordinary double-A batteries, further deepening the mystery surrounding their explosive nature.