TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In the case of a Banqiao preschool allegedly sedating young students, the results of hair follicle testing for 36 preschoolers in New Taipei were released on Thursday (June 29) and revealed no traces of any sedatives, reported CNA.
The hair follicle tests involved samples taken between May 26 and June 19, and are said to be more accurate than the blood tests taken in June. Initially, the results of the blood tests found trace amounts of barbiturates among eight students at the preschool where the allegations were first made in May.
Following the negative results of the hair follicle testing, New Taipei Mayor and KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) spoke at a press conference on Friday morning (June 30). Acting as if vindicated by the hair follicle test results, Hou accused his opponent Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and the DPP of rumormongering to create mass hysteria for political gain ahead of the election, reported UDN.
Hou demanded that Lai publicly apologize for stirring up unfounded rumors, and claimed the DPP harmed school children, teachers and parents by creating social unrest. New Taipei Deputy Mayor Liu He-jan (劉和然), accused Lai and the DPP of spreading false information to manipulate public opinion and said they should take responsibility.
Immediately after Hou’s press conference, the DPP responded by saying that it was in fact the KMT that was responsible for the public hysteria. Spokesperson for the DPP, Chang Chih-hao (張志豪), noted that several KMT city councilors in New Taipei shared posts about preschools “feeding drugs” to children.
On June 11, it was New Taipei Deputy Mayor Liu who announced the initial blood test results to the public, which indicated eight students tested positive. This led to numerous articles and posts alleging preschool teachers and officials were guilty of sedating the children, resulting in many angry parents and a lack of trust in the city’s leadership, according to the DPP.
The DPP contends that the KMT and the New Taipei City administration are responsible for the loss of public trust and they should be the ones to apologize, reported UDN. The party said it has always supported parents and children, as well as transparency among leadership.
The investigation by the New Taipei government is still ongoing into the teachers and managers of the Banqiao preschool. Many New Taipei parents have demanded drug tests for their young children over fears they may also have been sedated.
