A marriage between a Taiwanese man and a woman from the Philippines has ended in tragedy, with the wife apparently committing suicide in her Taoyuan County home, also taking the life of her young daughter.
According to the police report, the Filipina, whose first name was Glenda, was married to a Taiwanese surnamed Chiang (姜), and they had a son, 8, and daughter, 4, from their marriage of 10 years.
Police said Glenda committed suicide at her home on Wednesday, burning charcoal in the bathroom in her initial attempt, then hanging herself with electrical cords. The burning charcoal led to her daughter’s death by carbon monoxide poisoning.
The couple’s son, who was sleeping in another bedroom, was not affected, and dialed 119 for an ambulance.
Family friends said the marriage had been a happy one. Glenda had come to Taiwan to work for a computer company, where she met Chiang, they said.
Both were executives at the company and after a period of dating, they married in 2005, their friends said.
However, things began to go wrong when Chiang was transferred to China, they said.
Chiang reportedly took on a 22-year-old Chinese girlfriend while abroad, and friends said Glenda was heartbroken over her husband’s extramarital affair.
Police said Glenda left a suicide note, written in English, which showed that she still loved Chiang and wished him happiness.
According to local media reports, the note read in part: “I am sorry for everything. This time I wanted to say goodbye. I wish for your happiness. I will do this because I can’t continue to live my life… [because] you already have a girlfriend there in China. You know from yourself that you love her very much even if she is only 22 years old… I can’t take this pain and heartache anymore.”
Despite her anguish, Glenda still expressed love for her husband in the note.
Media outlets reported that Glenda’s simple message of love for her husband, despite the circumstances, moved investigators and journalists at the scene to tears.
Chiang returned to Taiwan yesterday and identified the bodies of his wife and daughter.
Media reports said Chiang, when questioned by investigators, denied that he had a girlfriend in China.
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