Students forced to swallow fire: report
TAIPEI (AFP) - – Taiwanese authorities are probing child abuse
claims against a school that allegedly made pupils as young as six
swallow fire to boost their courage, a report said Thursday.
The case came to light after parents complained that they paid
9,000 Taiwan dollars (280 US) for a five-day course only to find
out that their children were asked to swallow fire, said the TVBS
news channel.
Footage showed a female teacher shoving a burning home-made
torch into the mouth of a reluctant child.
The cram school, in south Taiwan's Tainan city, also made the
children walk barefoot over shattered glass and split wood with
their bare hands, the TVBS reported.
"It's like they were abusing the children. Each of the 70 or 80
children were really suffering," an unnamed mother told the
station.
The course is taught by a self-proclaimed hypnosis master who
boasts that his programmes can help develop the children's
potential and make them braver, reports said.
The authorities are investigating the child abuse claims, while
the school also faces a fine for operating without a permit,
according to the reports.