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Gold Apollo

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Gold Apollo Corporation Limited
Native name
金阿波羅股份有限公司
IndustryWireless Paging System
FoundedOctober 1995 (1995-10)
FounderHsu Ching-kuang
Headquarters
New Taipei City
,
Taiwan
Area served
Worldwide
Products
  • Alphanumeric Pagers
  • Restaurant Paging System
  • In-house Wireless Application, Transmitting Control
OwnerHsu Ching-kuang
Number of employees
40
Websitewww.gapollo.com.tw Edit this at Wikidata

Gold Apollo Co., Ltd. is a Taiwanese manufacturer of wireless paging systems. In September 2024, some 5,000 Gold Apollo AR924 pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon.

Overview

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Founded by Taiwanese businessman Hsu Ching-kuang (許清光) in October 1995, Gold Apollo produces POCSAG/FLEX pager. Initially, the company only produced numeric pagers and focused on the domestic market. However, in 1999, when Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom announced it would no longer issue pager numbers, the pager market collapsed overnight. In response, Gold Apollo began actively seeking to export its products abroad. In 2011, Gold Apollo became one of the few global experts in pagers, ranking as the largest pager company in the North American market and the second largest in Europe.[1][2]

2024 pager explosions

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Main article: 2024 Lebanon pager explosions

On 17 September 2024, some 5,000 Gold Apollo AR924 pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon and parts of Syria, at around 3:30 pm local time. The pagers bleeped, then paused, then detonated, giving time for victims to bring pagers to their face to read an expected message.[3] Twenty people were killed and about 2,800 injured, two-thirds of whom required surgery to face, eyes or hands, with many amputations.[4] Injuries were predominantly to the face and hands (when a message was being viewed) or the hip (where pagers were worn).[5] The explosions appeared to be a co-ordinated attack on Hezbollah.[6][7][8]

Gold Apollo

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On 18 September 2024, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-kuang told reporters that the company did not manufacture the pagers in question, which were produced by BAC Consulting KFT, a company based in Budapest, Hungary, under a licensing agreement that had been in place for three years.[9][10][11][12] BAC Consulting KFT has cooperated with Gold Apollo and represents many of its products.[13]

Taiwanese authorities

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A preliminary investigation by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs indicates that from 2022 to August 2024, Gold Apollo exported approximately 260,000 call devices from Taiwan. Between January and August 2024, 40,929 units were shipped, primarily to Europe and the United States. No incidents of explosions similar to those reported in the media have been associated with this batch of devices, and there are no records of direct exports to Lebanon.[14] The Shilin District Prosecutors Office has launched an investigation to clarify the facts of the case thoroughly.[15]

On 19 September 2024, under the direction of the prosecutors, Taiwan's Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau summoned the company's founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, for questioning. According to the seized shipping records and the contract between Gold Apollo and BAC Consulting KFT, BAC Consulting KFT had bought multiple batches of pagers from Gold Apollo three years before. Two years before, in 2022, BAC Consulting KFT had sought permission to manufacture the pagers and use Gold Apollo's trademark, paying Gold Apollo US$15 for each one.[16][17][18][19]

Media

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An Associated Press article published in September 2024 reported that, "An American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — where small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers were detonated."[20]

Leon Panetta, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, commented during an interview with CBS News in September 2024 that, "I don’t think there’s any question that it’s a form of terrorism."[21]

BAC Consulting KFT

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BAC Consulting KFT's CEO Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono confirmed the company's collaboration with Gold Apollo and stated that they do not manufacture pagers but serve only as an intermediary, without disclosing details about the contracted manufacturer.[22][23]

Around 16 October 2024, the YouTube account of Apollo Systems HK, the subsidary of BAC Consulting KFT,[24] was deleted for an unknown reason. Their channel included videos detailing the features of the AR924 Alphanumeric Pagers used in the attacks, as well as other Gold Apollo product demonstrations.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://tw.news.yahoo.com/金阿波羅國外市場大-全盛期荷蘭市占99-美國60-112500932.html
  2. ^ https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5111852
  3. ^ Sabbagh, Dan; Bayer, Lili; Milmo, Dan (18 September 2024). "Pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah were audacious and carefully planned". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Gritten, David (18 September 2024). "Death toll from Hezbollah pager explosions in Lebanon rises to 12". BBC News.
  5. ^ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-explosives-hezbollahs-taiwan-made-pagers-say-sources-2024-09-18/
  6. ^ "Hezbollah official: Exploded pagers were a new brand, replaced cellphones at Nasrallah's order". The Times of Israel. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Exploding Hezbollah devices reportedly issued in recent days". i24NEWS. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  8. ^ Belam, Martin; Lowe, Yohannes; Chao-Fong, Léonie; Ambrose, Tom; Graham-Harrison, Emma; Sabbagh, Dan; Wintour, Patrick (17 September 2024). "Lebanon attacks 'an extremely concerning escalation', says UN official, as Hezbollah threatens retaliation – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Gold Apollo says it did not make pagers used in Lebanon explosions". Reuters. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Taiwan's Gold Apollo Says Hezbollah Pagers Made By Hungary Partner," Barrons.
  11. ^ "Taiwanese Company Disavows Links to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon and Syria," Time.
  12. ^ "呼叫器100%非台灣製！金阿波羅喊冤「不是我做的」將跨國提告". TVBS News. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Taiwan's Gold Apollo says Hezbollah pagers made by Hungary partner BAC," Al Arabiya.
  14. ^ https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202409180114.aspx
  15. ^ https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202409180123.aspx
  16. ^ https://udn.com/news/story/123777/8238014
  17. ^ https://tw.news.yahoo.com/快訊-捲入黎巴嫩bb-call爆炸案-金阿波羅-董座深夜抵士檢複訊-154111552.html
  18. ^ https://tw.news.yahoo.com/黎巴嫩呼叫器爆炸案-金阿波羅負責人許清光訊後請回-174406870.html
  19. ^ https://news.ttv.com.tw/news/11309190041800N
  20. ^ "What to know about the two waves of deadly explosions that hit Lebanon and Syria". AP News. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Even Leon Panetta Says Israel's Pager Attack Is "Terrorism"". Yahoo News. 23 September 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Who made the exploding pagers? A messy global trail emerges behind deadly Lebanon blasts". NBC News. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  23. ^ Lai, Johnson; Spike, Justin; Mroue, Bassem (18 September 2024). "Exploding pagers in attack on Hezbollah were made by a Hungarian company, another firm says". AP News. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  24. ^ https://www.sofx.com/mossad-allegedly-used-multiple-shell-companies-to-supply-rigged-explosives-to-hezbollah-report-claims/
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