A Taiwanese pager manufacturer, Gold Apollo, has denied producing the devices used in deadly explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday, September 17. The company said that the pagers, which were used by Hezbollah members and caused the deaths of twelve people, as per latest reports, and injuries to thousands, were made by a licensee using its brand.
The explosions, believed to have been triggered by explosives planted inside the pagers, were attributed to Israel’s Mossad spy agency by Lebanese security sources.
Gold Apollo founder and president, Hsu Ching-kuang, clarified that the company only licensed its brand to a European-based company, BAC, for sales in specific regions. The design and manufacturing of the pagers were entirely handled by BAC. Hsu reportedly told journalists that Gold Apollo has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years. “According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize 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.
The explosions, believed to have been triggered by explosives planted inside the pagers, were attributed to Israel’s Mossad spy agency by Lebanese security sources.
Gold Apollo founder and president, Hsu Ching-kuang, clarified that the company only licensed its brand to a European-based company, BAC, for sales in specific regions. The design and manufacturing of the pagers were entirely handled by BAC. Hsu reportedly told journalists that Gold Apollo has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years. “According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize 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.
“Gold Apollo is a victim of the incident”
Hsu expressed concerns about irregularities in remittances from BAC, suggesting that payments may have been routed through the Middle East. He also noted that Hezbollah fighters had begun using pagers to evade Israeli tracking. Hsu further added that Gold Apollo was a victim of the incident and planned to sue the licensee. “We may not be a large company but we are a responsible one,” he said. “This is very embarrassing.”
Taiwan’s economy ministry confirmed that there were no records of direct pager exports from Taiwan to Lebanon. Gold Apollo has announced plans to sue the licensee for the damage caused by the incident.