Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠), director-general of the Osaka branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, committed suicide early yesterday at his residence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, just one week after his office was accused of indifference to the plight of Taiwanese stranded in the area in the wake of Typhoon Jebi.
The ministry issued a statement expressing its deepest grief and regret over the loss of Su, 61, who assumed leadership of the office in July.
He previously served as director-general of the office’s Naha branch and as deputy secretary-general of what is now called the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association.
Photo: CNA
“Director Su was a hardworking and responsible diplomat. He had done a remarkable job during his diplomatic career and was always willing to mentor the nation’s younger diplomats,” the ministry said. “We are extremely saddened by his passing.”
The ministry said it would do everything it can to assist Su’s family and urged the public to respect their privacy.
Local media have reported that Su’s suicide was linked to work pressure, presumably caused by an outpouring of criticism due to the office’s perceived lack of assistance for Taiwanese who were affected by Jebi.
The ministry declined to comment on the allegations.
A netizen said they last week telephoned the Osaka office to ask whether it could help them find accommodation, to which a staff member allegedly responded: “How could I help you with that? Where you want to stay is your own choice.”
Criticism increased further after a false report emerged that the Chinese embassy in Japan sent tour buses to pick up Chinese tourists stuck in Osaka’s Kansai International Airport.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Wednesday said that changes are needed in the emergency response mechanism at the representative offices in Japan.
The heads of the offices were originally scheduled to meet in Osaka today to discuss ways to revise its emergency response protocols.
Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) flew to Osaka after learning of Su’s suicide and issued a news release lamenting the diplomat’s death.
“People have been comparing what the Osaka office did to help tourists stranded in Kansai International Airport with what the Chinese embassy did, placing staff at the office under tremendous pressure,” Hsieh said.
Staff at the offices did their utmost to help in the wake of Jebi and a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that struck Hokkaido on Thursday last week, Hsieh said, adding that their hard work should be justly recognized.
The Presidential Office said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has instructed the ministry to do everything possible to assist Su’s family, and expressed sorrow and condolences over the diplomat’s death.
Additional reporting by Lin Tsuei-yi and CNA
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS