KMT demands that minister apologize over soldier deaths
PLEDGE: The minister of national defense last week said that the ministry deeply regrets the loss of a soldier’s life and would investigate the incident
By Lin Hsin-han, Hsu Yung-ching and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters, with staff writer
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday called on Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to apologize and demanded an investigation report after three people died in military incidents in a period of about a month.
A lieutenant of the army’s 206th Brigade, surnamed Wang (王), who was allegedly verbally bullied, on Sept. 30 fell from a building and died at a military base in Hsinchu County.
A major serving in the same brigade, surnamed Wu (吳), collapsed while he was on duty at the base last month. He was sent to a hospital and died from a heart attack on Oct. 16.
From left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin, KMT caucus secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen and KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Hung Meng-kai hold placards at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
A soldier of the army’s 101st Infantry Brigade, surnamed Liu (劉), died by suicide during a holiday last month.
The KMT caucus said Koo should take political responsibility for the three deaths and issue a public apology to their families.
An investigation report must be submitted to the legislature within a week, it added.
It also demanded that Koo mandate the introduction of a third-party investigation committee on cases of bullying in the armed forces.
A total of 19 military members have attempted suicide so far this year, compared with a total of 17 cases last year, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said.
That showed the armed forces’ counseling support network has been paralyzed, she said.
The KMT caucus is supportive of national defense construction, and defense budgets continue to increase, but counseling resources for frontline military officers and soldiers are “disproportionately insufficient,” at an “extremely low” ratio of 1:400, she said.
Defense capabilities such as advanced military equipment would be a castle in the air if there is a lack of healthy personnel, she added.
On Friday last week in response to media queries for comment regarding Wang, Koo said the Ministry of National Defense deeply regrets the loss of a young life and would investigate the incident to determine whether there were any lapses in oversight or management.
The commander and political warfare director of the 206th Brigade have been reassigned, and disciplinary action would also be taken, he said, adding that the ministry would review and enhance its mental health support measures to prevent similar tragedies from happening.
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