Diplomats flown home after controversies

Taiwan’s representative in Geneva, Greg Lee (李冠德), has been removed from his post after an investigation found that he had engaged in workplace bullying, while Taiwan’s ambassador to the Marshall Islands, Hsu Wei-ming (徐蔚民), has returned home and is to leave his post, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.

Lee has returned to Taiwan and is working at the ministry’s Taipei headquarters, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry’s comments came after local media reported earlier yesterday that the Cabinet had approved its recommendation to recall Lee to Taipei, and that he began working at the Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs on Monday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung answers legislators’ questions at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

Lee’s removal from his post in Geneva followed a determination by an ad hoc investigative team formed by the ministry that he had engaged in workplace bullying.

According to the team’s findings, released on Oct. 7, Lee was found to have frequently “shouted and yelled” during meetings and repeatedly criticized or obstructed some of his subordinates in the office.

The team concluded that Lee had abused his position of power, exceeded the necessary and reasonable scope of his duties, and continuously created a hostile work environment through threats, offenses, insults or other means, thereby harming the physical and mental health of office staff who filed complaints.

Lee was also accused of misusing public resources for personal purposes in late July.

The ministry did not say if those allegations were being investigated.

Meanwhile, amid controversy over a proposed Double Ten National Day drag show, the ministry yesterday confirmed that Hsu had returned and would leave his post.

Local media reported earlier this month that the ministry had rejected Hsu’s suggestion for the Oct. 10 performance as “inappropriate.”

Hsu later came under bipartisan criticism when a video of a rehearsal for the event emerged, showing him lying astride a wooden bed carried aloft by eight Marshallese men acting as litter bearers.

Asked about the incident during a legislative session yesterday, Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Michael Lin (林昭宏) said he and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱) had informed Hsu that, as an ambassador, he was expected to wear formal attire and maintain a solemn demeanor when addressing attendees and hosting the National Day celebrations.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told the same session that the ministry had managed to “avert a major controversy.”

Lin said that the ministry had recalled Hsu to clarify the incident and held reviews to ensure that a similar incident would not happen again, adding that Taiwan had remained in close contact with the Marshall Islands government over the incident.

“It was purely the personal behavior of the ambassador — and the Marshall Islands, once apprised of the situation, expressed full support for how Taiwan handled the matter,” he said.

The incident would not affect bilateral ties, Lin added.

Hsu took up the ambassadorial post in December last year.

The Taiwanese embassy in the Marshall Islands is currently headed by its second-in-command, minister Hank Liu (劉漢清), the ministry said.