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
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. “In the past two months, our customers shared a lot of their future plans with me. Artificial intelligence [AI] and AI applications were the most talked about subjects in our conversation,” Wei said in a speech at the National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, counts Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Apple Inc and
LEAP FORWARD: The new tanks are ‘decades more advanced than’ the army’s current fleet and would enable it to compete with China’s tanks, a source said A shipment of 38 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks — part of a military procurement package from the US — arrived at the Port of Taipei early yesterday. The vehicles are the first batch of 108 tanks and other items that then-US president Donald Trump announced for Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of National Defense at the time allocated NT$40.5 billion (US$1.25 billion) for the purchase. To accommodate the arrival of the tanks, the port suspended the use of all terminals and storage area machinery from 6pm last night until 7am this morning. The tanks are expected to be deployed at the army’s training
RSS