Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) yesterday called suicides in the military “regrettable” and pledged to increase the number of military counselors to prevent further incidents.
Chiu’s pledge came as local media reported 16 cases of suicides or attempted suicides in the military this year, resulting in at least 14 deaths.
That represented an increase from the total of 82 suicide cases from 2017 to 2022, or just under 14 a year, among Taiwan’s 160,000 troops, government data showed.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The most recent case was reported on Monday in Chiayi County. An army lieutenant surnamed Chang (張) was found dead in an apparent suicide inside his own vehicle after he did not report back to base after two days off.
Asked about the case, Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session that it was regrettable to see these cases.
Several factors are involved when military personnel decide to harm themselves, and not all of them are related to their service record or alleged disciplinary issues, Chiu said.
Aside from the investigations being carried out by judicial authorities, the military is to launch its own investigation into each case to determine its cause, but it will not make public more details related to each case for privacy reasons, he said.
The Ministry of National Defense listed “zero suicides” as its top policy priority in 2016, but it has fallen short of the goal.
During yesterday’s joint meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, lawmakers questioned Chiu over the lack of military counselors, which they said could explain why there were so many attempted suicides in the military.
The military has only about 400 military counselors who specialize in counseling, social work or psychology for military personnel, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said.
This means that roughly one counselor has to meet the needs of 400 soldiers, Hung said.
With Taiwan extending compulsory military service to one year starting this year, the number of troops is expected to grow to 260,000 by 2029, meaning the military would need to add at least 300 more counselors just to maintain the existing counselor-soldier ratio, the DPP lawmaker said.
Chiu said the military would meet with other agencies and experts in the field to determine how many more counselors it needs.
“It is of course our wish to have as many counselors as possible,” he said.
Chiu also pledged to give the two committees a report on the matter within two months.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese