TAIPEI: Six women hired a guide to lead them in an ascent of Yu Shan, Taiwan’s tallest mountain, in April.
But, on the final day, they were left abandoned during the descent.
The guide, identified as Chen in local media reports, has since been fined NT$3,000 (RM451).
Last Wednesday, his mountaineering hiking licence was suspended for three years.
He is barred from guiding hikers at Taiwan’s three “high mountain” national parks – Yu Shan, Taroko and Shei-Pa.
This is the first time that the maximum penalty has been issued over contraventions of rules that were rolled out by the Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior, in February.
According to the Taipei Times, each woman paid him NT$15,000 to, among other things, hire assistants to help carry gear and arrange lodging and meals on the 3,952m-tall mountain.
Chen is reportedly a professional photographer who specialises in astronomy shots.
It is unclear if there were assistants with the group.
The nationalities of the women are unknown.
During the hike, there were delays as some of the women were inexperienced climbers, which led to safety issues, reported the Taipei Times, citing Yu Shan National Park Management Office officials.
According to one of the women, identified as Tien, who filed a complaint, problems surfaced from the first day.
During an investigation into the complaint, park officials said Chen failed to respond to inquiries. — The Straits Times/ANN
