Taiwan theaters get bomb threats for showing documentary

Taipei, Oct. 9 (CNA) Several movie theaters in Taiwan have received bomb threats for showing a documentary focused on a government-run organ harvesting operation in China, according to the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB).

The CIB said in a statement Wednesday that the movie theaters received emails that threatened to place bombs or shoot off firearms on their premises if they did not stop showing the documentary "State Organs: Unmasking Transplant Abuse in China."

After investigating the emails, the CIB determined that they were sent from an overseas IP that used a VPN proxy.

Theaters in Taichung, Kaohsiung, Yilan and Pingtung, as well as a Taipei media outlet, received emails of this nature, the CIB said, though it did not specifically identify the individual locations.

No bombs have been found so far in any of the movie theaters that have received the threats, the CIB said, adding that local police has stepped up their monitoring of the areas and kept in contact with the threatened businesses.

According to the Criminal Code, sending bomb threats constitutes the crime of intimidating the public, the bureau said.

The documentary was directed by Raymond Zhang (章勇進) and follows the story of two families in China embarking on a perilous 20-year journey that eventually uncovers a government-run organ harvesting operation, according to its official website.