TAIPEI, Taiwan – Entrepreneur Hsu Ching-kuang, once celebrated in Taiwan for reviving the outdated electronic pager, is currently under scrutiny after his company, Gold Apollo, was connected to pagers utilized by the militant group Hezbollah in recent explosions that resulted in at least nine fatalities across Lebanon and Syria.
Hsu acknowledged that the pagers in question were indeed branded with his company’s name. “This is very embarrassing,” he stated, as police and media gathered at his office. Shortly thereafter, multiple police officers and municipal officials entered the premises to conduct an investigation.
He denied any direct involvement with the explosive devices, asserting that a Budapest-based company, BAC Consulting, was responsible for manufacturing them. “There was nothing in those devices that we had manufactured or exported to them,” Hsu claimed, emphasizing that the pagers were different from his designs and employed a chip not used in Gold Apollo’s products.
According to reports from Reuters and the New York Times, the pagers were reportedly placed by Israel, although the specific details regarding their modification to become explosive remain unclear. This connection to various lesser-known firms across Asia and Europe hints at a long-planned operation.
Three years prior, Hsu recounted that he was approached by a woman he only knew as “Teresa,” who posed as a representative for BAC Consulting. After extensive negotiations, he agreed to sell his company’s pagers to BAC and permitted them to use Gold Apollo’s trademark on their products.
Hsu noted that Teresa had traveled to Europe several times and mentioned BAC’s interest in East Africa but never mentioned Lebanon.
Documents from the Hungarian Ministry of Justice indicate BAC Consulting was established in May 2022, with Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono listed as the sole owner. Her LinkedIn profile showcases her as a CEO and strategic advisor, while another site describes her as a freelance expert in natural resources and sustainable development.
About a year after signing the contract, BAC approached Hsu with an unusual demand to create their own products featuring Gold Apollo’s trademark. Hsu found the request odd and expressed doubt over the quality of their designs.
Further complicating matters, Hsu noticed that BAC’s payment methods seemed “strange.” Although BAC is based in Hungary, payments were made from a Middle Eastern bank account that was blocked at least once by Taiwanese authorities, causing significant inconvenience.
Hsu stated that the last shipment to BAC occurred earlier this year, involving the “AR-924” model pagers that reportedly detonated in February, newly acquired by Hezbollah. He firmly maintained that none of the explosive pagers were produced by Gold Apollo, reiterating that his company did not manufacture or export any such devices.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that there are no records of Taiwanese companies exporting pagers to Lebanon from 2022 to 2024 and stated that the pagers were likely modified after being exported. However, NPR was unable to independently verify this information.