A group of young people yesterday interrupted a news conference in Taipei to protest a Ministry of Health and Welfare official’s comments linking teen suicide to the number of tall buildings in Taiwan.
About 10 people dashed onto the stage shortly after the news conference began — at which officials were to share details of a report on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The protesters held placards and shouted slogans to demand the resignation of Department of Mental and Oral Health Director-General Chen Li-chung (諶立中), who on Wednesday said that “Taiwan’s tall buildings have been increasing in the past decade, causing many teenagers to impulsively jump off them to commit suicide.”
Photo: Screengrab from the news conference livestream
Chen is avoiding the real problem and has confused the means of committing suicide and its causes, the protesters said, adding that the ministry should apologize immediately.
Moreover, Chen should hold a news conference to apologize and take responsibility for his careless remarks, they said.
The protesters also urged the government to convene a meeting to investigate the causes of suicide among children and young people.
A panel of five international experts were in Taipei this week to review Taiwan’s implementation of the UN convention, during which time they spoke with government officials, non-governmental organizations and young people.
The panel after the interruption presented 72 concluding observations at the news conference.
Chen said that his comment was “a short answer to a question from the panel” and it has been taken out of context.
However, it is good that the group had an opportunity to express their opinions, he said.
Suicide prevention meetings are held regularly, he said, adding that investigating the causes of suicide might be difficult in Taiwan, as there is a stigma attached to it.
It would be easier to “remove access to lethal methods,” including by installing barriers on tall buildings, he said.
Other prevention measures include intervening with children and young people who have emotional problems, he said.
Teenagers should be encouraged to participate in activities that strengthen their mental resilience and foster interpersonal relationships, he said.
Meanwhile, panel members said that Taiwan should review the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) “to fully harmonize it with the contents and spirit” of the UN convention.
Panel members acknowledged the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission in 2020, but said there should be “a well-staffed, well-budgeted and well-trained unit within it to deal with the rights of the child.”
The government should “consider introducing a single, robust child-death review process,” as suicide rates are on the rise, they said.
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do