[Kinds Of Pain Meds]

Over 60 military officers, sergeants and soldiers were found to have been induced to join a fake gigolo training ring recently busted by the police in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan, sending shockwaves through the military field, according to Defense Ministry spokesman Yu Si-tzu.

In late December, the Kaohsiung police cracked down on a criminal ring allegedly using promises of high salaries to lure applicants to serve as gigolos, and initial investigations found more than 60 active military servicemen, including officers, sergeants and soldiers, from the army, air force, navy, marine corps. and combined logistics sectors among the named lists of applicants, prompting the police to inform the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the scandal, Yu said.

Immediately after receiving the report from the police, the MND set up an ad hoc panel, composed of military policemen and military discipline control sectors, to probe the case and interrogate the military servicemen in question.

After the interrogations the investigation team found that the criminal ring, headed by two men surnamed Tao and Ho, started to solicit "male public-relations" staff, the so-called gigolos, in May 2010, and allegedly asked applicants to invest in an entertainment company and pay fees for male PR training and costumes, with each applicant required to give a minimum payment of NT$200,000 (S$8,880) for one stage of training.

But not long after paying the money all the applicants were rejected on the grounds that they had no talent or were not suitable to work as gigolos. If the rejected applicants asked for another chance they were required to pay another NT$200,000, but after that they were still unable to realize their dreams of "becoming a gigolo to serve rich woman and get rewards."

According to statistics compiled by the MND based on the investigations, there were 40 officers, sergeants and soldiers that had paid NT$200,000 to NT$600,000 each to the fake entertainment company set up by the criminal ring, and another 20 having called the company to show their interest in joining the company by leaving correspondence and age information.

MND spokesman Yu Si-tzu said that the ministry will move to help military servicemen develop an accurate sense of value by promoting legal money management methods and encouraging respect for ones physical body.

Yu said that some officers and soldiers like to patronize high-end establishments or buy famous-brand products, making them always short of money. This, coupled with their distorted sense of value, forced them to try to make quick money by joining the gigolo training company.

The MND will soon determine how to punish the military servicemen involved in the case, and will "reducate" them to avoid a reoccurrence of similar undesirable practices. Their family members have also been informed of the scandal.

[Butiqueso]

Competing with 新加坡武装部队文工团, SAF Music and Drama Company.