Efforts must be taken to prevent young people committing suicide like student protester Dai Lin (林冠華), as youths have been known to emulate suicidal events of their peers, Tri-Service General Hospital department of psychology director Yeh Chi-pin (葉啟斌) said.
Lin, a member of the Northern Taiwan Anti-Curriculum Changes Alliance, was found dead near burning charcoal early on Thursday morning, the day of his 20th birthday.
According to Yeh, Lin burned coal in an enclosed space, a method with one of the highest success rates.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“A majority of participants in the anti-curriculum changes events are youths and there exists the possibility of an emulation effect,” Taiwanese Society of Suicidology director Yang Tsung-tsai (楊聰財) said.
“Emulation might see incidents ranging from self-mutilation to suicide in attempts to reinforce the message,” Yang said.
“People might have negative emotions because of the student protests. We suggest these students talk to friends, family or teachers if they are feeling helpless or frustrated,” Yang said.
“Students should find ways to balance their emotions by talking with friends, going out to sing, or using other calming methods, such as diaphragmatic breathing or keeping a diary or journal about things that make them happy,” Yang said.
“We also encourage parents and teachers to be proactive and keep a close eye on children or students if they see a drop in sleeping quality, a loss of appetite or less time spent on sports,” Yang said.
“Being alert and actively asking after people if they show such changes could help prevent tragedies,” Yang said, adding that if need be, parents and teachers should refer these people for professional help.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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