It is in the private kindergarten Baoren of the municipality of New Taipei, in Taiwan, that this strange affair broke out, reports the Guardian. Several weeks ago, parents noticed suspicious behaviors in their children: cramps, mood swings, attitudes that happen to be symptoms of withdrawal. After several complaints filed against the school, continued pressure on the city administration, the children were tested at the Taipei hospital.
It was then that traces of two psychoactive substances were discovered in eight children: phenobarbital, a substance used against epilepsy, and benzodiazepines, a powerful sleeping pill. The police then opened an investigation and arrested five teachers at the school, as well as the director. They are suspected of having drugged the children, for reasons which remain unknown. One hypothesis is the sedative virtue of the detected substances.
The establishment had to close its doors and pay a fine of 150,000 Taiwan dollars, or just over 4,400 euros, Slate said. Jidibao Education Group, parent company of Baoren School, apologized in a statement to parents. But the latter are angry with the city administration for not having reacted sooner: the tests were not carried out until 22 days after the first complaints. On June 18, hundreds of people marched in front of several official municipal buildings in protest.
What to do bad press to the mayor of the city, Hou Yu-ih, accused of having delayed too much on the file so as not to tint his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election under the banner of the Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party .
