EXPECTED PUNISHMENT: Su’s suicide was reportedly precipitated by a telephone call from his superiors to inform him that he and his staff would be reprimanded
Taipei Times
Date: Dec 22, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The widow of a former diplomat to Japan, who committed suicide in September after
A Facebook post by Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh about a fake news report of stranded Taiwanese travelers at Kansai International Airport following Typhoon Jebi is pictured yesterday. Screengrab from the Internet
his office had come under fire for its handling of stranded Taiwanese tourists due to a typhoon, on Thursday denied that false information drove her husband to take his own life, saying that it was instead “anticipated humiliation” by his superiors.
In a statement issued through Eastern Broadcasting Co (EBC, 東森電視), the wife of Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠), who was director-general of the Osaka branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office until his death on Sept. 14, said that only family members had read Su’s suicide note, which did not mention pressure caused by fake news.
“Rather, he committed suicide after finishing a reflection report ordered by his superiors and on the eve of a work meeting to defend his honor, leaving behind a note saying that he ‘does not want to be humiliated,’” said Su’s wife, who did not make her name public.
She was referring to a meeting originally scheduled for Sept. 15 between the nation’s six branch offices in Japan to discuss how to revise their emergency response protocols. [FULL STORY]
