TAIWAN - Senior officers from the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) have coordinated police forces in Taichung City and Nantou County to arrest 10 suspects engaged in using violence and other illegal acts to threaten operators and teachers at competing supplementary schools in Central Taiwan.
Officials at the CIB under the National Police Agency (NPA) said yesterday that more then 80 police officers took part in the operations after monitoring the suspects for four months.
An alleged kingpin of the group, surnamed Lee, runs a supplementary school in Taichung. But he joined hands with criminal organisations headed by two men, surnamed Hang and Chien, to constantly threaten owners and teachers at other cram schools in order to dominate the lucrative education market.
Their violent schemes included throwing paint and gasoline bombs into the homes of competitors and threatening to "chop off" teacher's hands if they asked for higher payment for their teaching work.
The three also allegedly sent their followers to publicly beat up teachers in front of students in the classrooms.
CIB officials said several of the their followers were turned over to prosecutors for further investigation and legal actions.
A senior official in Central Taiwan said it is a shame to have brutal "educational thugs" that bully other educators and educational institutions.
He said the Taichung City Government has not ruled out the possibility of invalidating the registration of Lee's supplementary school if he is convicted in forthcoming trials.
Officials at the CIB under the National Police Agency (NPA) said yesterday that more then 80 police officers took part in the operations after monitoring the suspects for four months.
An alleged kingpin of the group, surnamed Lee, runs a supplementary school in Taichung. But he joined hands with criminal organisations headed by two men, surnamed Hang and Chien, to constantly threaten owners and teachers at other cram schools in order to dominate the lucrative education market.
Their violent schemes included throwing paint and gasoline bombs into the homes of competitors and threatening to "chop off" teacher's hands if they asked for higher payment for their teaching work.
The three also allegedly sent their followers to publicly beat up teachers in front of students in the classrooms.
CIB officials said several of the their followers were turned over to prosecutors for further investigation and legal actions.
A senior official in Central Taiwan said it is a shame to have brutal "educational thugs" that bully other educators and educational institutions.
He said the Taichung City Government has not ruled out the possibility of invalidating the registration of Lee's supplementary school if he is convicted in forthcoming trials.
