EXCLUSIVE: Taiwan gay rights activist arrested, released on NT$1 million bail, banned from international travel, assets seized after death stemming from 'rainbow party' fireball that injured 500

Tuesday, June 30, 2015
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Tags: rainbow party, gay rights activist, arrest

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(NaturalNews) Taiwan gay rights activist and "rainbow party" (Color Play) organizer Zhong Ji Lu was taken into custody by Taiwan police today for his role in the massive, deadly fireball that rained down upon 500 youth celebrating over the weekend. He was questioned and released on NT$1 million bail, with investigations pending.

Zhong Ji Lu is the key founder of Gay Rights Taiwan (http://www.facebook.com/gayrightstw) according to Storm Media Group in Taiwan. Mr. Lu is well known as a gay rights activist according to Liberty Times Net Taiwan. He's also been the subject of top news on Pridewatch Taiwan (http://www.pridewatch.tw/people/yaowz) as a gay rights activist. Since this link was first publicized, the Pridewatch Taiwan website has been down, likely due to the very large amount of traffic referred by Natural News.

The Color Play Creative Company and Rui Bo Marketing Agency are responsible for this tragedy, reports China Times. Both organizations are owned by Taiwan gay rights activist Zhong Ji Lu, who has been linked to numerous business scandals, according to the Times.

"...[P]rosecutors from New Taipei's Bali District held event organizer Lu Chung-chi for questioning," reports the English-language China Post. (The China Post uses a Taiwan spelling structure for Mandarin Chinese names, spelling his name as Chung-chi instead of the more conventional pin-ying spelling of "Zhong Ji." The two spellings refer to the same person.) "He was later released after posting NT$1 million bail, though he must periodically report to police and is barred from leaving the country pending investigation. Police also released Chiu Po-ming, the technician at the company headed by Lu on NT$300,000 bail."

Highly explosive corn flour was labeled with warnings

The weekend catastrophe involved the spontaneous ignition of a multi-colored special effect which was launched into the air by event organizers using air cannons. The "special effect" turned out to be highly explosive particulate corn flour, the same substance frequently responsible for grain silo explosions in the grain belts of the world. The airborne corn flour ignited and burst into flames, raining down fire upon the heads of nearly 500 youth who were attending the event.



Natural News can now report that event organizers were previously aware that this substance was flammable and had the potential to explode. As Nextmag Taiwan now reports:

TRANSLATION: Event powder was provided by the Color Play Creative Company. A previous incident happened in an event in September 2013 -- in the public announcement of the use of such powder, Mr. Lu stated the possibility of explosion and described the conditions that need to be reached for an explosion to occur. He promised the public that all safety measures had been observed, and that the possibility of an explosion was extremely low.

However, Mr. Lu should have been aware of the potential for explosion of the corn flour, as it was clearly stated on the warning label that the substance was subject to spontaneous ignition. Natural News has also learned that Mr. Lu did not specifically warn his own workers to avoid smoking cigarettes around this substance. They were poorly trained in the handling of the potentially explosive material.

The corn flour was manufactured via OEM by the Tai-Won Food Company of Taiwan (www.taiwon-food.com.tw), which manufactured it using a recipe of 97% corn flour and 3% food coloring. Here's a photo of the finished product (photo credit Chinatimes.com)



The warning label for the flour product clearly states that it is subject to spontaneous ignition, a fact which is common knowledge in agricultural areas of the world. Here's a closer look at the label:



Translation of the label's warning points:

1. If you get this flour on your skin, you can wash it off with water.
2. Some of the coloring might need to be washed off with bleach, use in proper concentration.
3. Avoid using the powder in enclosed spaces in order to avoid an explosion.
4. Keep away from sources of fire in order to avoid ignition.
5. Suggest you wear goggles to avoid eye discomfort.

By shooting this particulate powder into the air through the use of air cannons, Color Play event organizers inadvertently created a "fuel air bomb" consisting of an explosive mixture of fuel and oxygen. The United States military uses a similar approach to create a devastating weapon by spraying petrochemical aerosols into a large area then unleashing an ignition source.

The following stock photo image shows the result of a military fuel-air explosive being detonated with devastating effect:


This frame from the video of the incident in Taiwan shows the flour igniting in the form of a massive cloud over the heads of participants:

Huge revenues generated by packing small area with insane numbers of people... and only ONE exit!

Nearly 11,000 tickets were sold to the event, reports Taiwan Apple Daily, with ticket prices ranging from roughly $40 to $50 US dollars, according to UDN.com. Natural News estimates total ticket sales to be anywhere from $250K to $500K, with additional revenues derived from corporate sponsorship of the event.

Around 4,000 people were admitted to the party, with only a single exit available. The area that held the central crowd was only designed to hold 600 people, Natural News has learned. Event organizers not only had the area packed with people beyond capacity, they then released an explosive substance into the air above the crowd, resulting in the tragic ignition and fireball that injured hundreds.

The following image is from a promotional video advertising the event:


Three tons of the flammable flour powder was used by event organizers, and two-thirds of that amount (two tons) were involved in the explosion, reports Taiwan Apple Daily. It also reports, "Human skin is everywhere on the ground."

The Taiwan government has now banned the use of colored corn flour for public events, reports Singpao.com. Taiwan Apple Daily also confirms the Taiwan government now outlawing the use of colored corn flour at public events.

Hundreds still hospitalized in critical condition

Nearly 500 people were injured in the event, and injured youth were taken to 43 different hospitals and clinics. At least one person has died, and 416 people still remain in the hospital, with 200+ of those people in critical condition.

Criminal charges have not yet been filed against the organizer and gay rights activist Zhong Ji Lu, although according to press reports, criminal investigators are searching for evidence and have already questioned several key people involved in the incident.

Zong Ji Lu appeared before the press, handcuffed and wearing a face mask, apologizing for the injuries and deaths. (Photo credit to UDN.com)



It is now clear that Zhong-Ji-Lu may soon be facing multiple involuntary manslaughter charges (or the Taiwan equivalent) for deaths stemming from this tragic and horrible event.

Natural News continues to call for prayers for all those harmed in this catastrophe. If you wish to donate to help support aid to the victims of this tragic event, here's the donation page of the Tzu Chi Foundation, whose Chinese language page describes what they're doing to help treat victims of this event, which they refer to as a "rainbow party."