Authorities in Tainan yesterday continued their investigation into a family tragedy in which a couple allegedly committed suicide by burning charcoal inside their rented apartment, taking the lives of their three children with them.
Police said they are interviewing neighbors, the landlord and the building’s security guard to determine if foul play was involved.
The bodies of the five members of the family were discovered inside the master bedroom on Tuesday afternoon, and police identified them as a man surnamed Wang (王), 40, his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 36, and their three sons, aged seven, six and two.
Investigators and forensic doctors re-examined the site yesterday, saying they will likely conduct an autopsy.
Preliminary assessment indicated the apparent family suicide might have taken place a few days before, since they had not been seen outside of the house for some time and the elder children had not attended school since Friday last week.
Advocates for children’s rights said children have a right to live, regardless of their parents’ circumstances.
Taiwan Fund for Children and Families executive Lee Pao-liang (李保良) said he was saddened by the tragedy.
“Children are innocent; they must not be deprived of their life. They are our nation’s assets, and not the private property of the parents,” he said.
When a family encounters difficulties, they should discuss the problem with friends and relatives, or seek assistance from the social welfare system, and must have the courage to face problems to give themselves an opportunity to turn it around, Lee said.
Police said the couple allegedly committed suicide due to financial difficulties, since they had not paid rent for four months and might have had other debts.
Friends said that Wang had lost money in bad investments, and was working at a low-paying job at a car rental company.
Investigators said the couple wrote on the walls with a brush pen phrases about “hate and bitterness” and “for our next life, we don’t want to come back as humans.”
Friends said they only married earlier this year, with the two elder children coming from the wife’s previous marriage.
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