Defense chief vows more counselors amid military suicides

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Wednesday called suicide cases in Taiwan's military "regrettable" and pledged to increase the number of military counselors to prevent more such cases from happening.

Chiu's pledge came as local media reported 16 suicide/attempted suicide cases among Taiwanese military personnel so far in 2024, resulting in at least 14 deaths.

That represented a rise from the total of 82 suicide cases reported from 2017 to 2022, or just under 14 a year, within Taiwan's armed forces in a military with around 160,000 troops, according to government data.

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 following two days off.

Asked to comment, Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session Wednesday 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, according to Chiu.

Aside from the investigations being carried out by judicial authorities, the military will launch its own investigation into each case to determine its cause, Chiu said.

But Chiu also said the military would not make public more details related to each suicide/attempted suicide case for privacy reasons.

The Ministry of National Defense listed "zero suicides" as its top policy priority in 2016, but it has fallen short of the goal.

During Wednesday's legislative session, lawmakers grilled Chu over the lack of military counselors, which they suggested could explain why there were so many attempted suicides in the military.

According to ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), the military has only around 400 military counselors who are specialized in counseling, social work, or psychology, with a focus on military populations.

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 in 2024, from four months previously, the number of troops is expected to grow to 260,000 by 2029, meaning the military will need to add at least 300 more counselors just to maintain the existing counselor-soldier ratio, the DPP lawmaker said.

Chiu responded that the military will meet with other agencies and experts in the field to determine how many more counselors it needs to hire to meet the needs of its troops.

"It is of course our wish to have as many counselors as possible," the defense chief said.

He also pledged to give lawmakers in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee a report on the military counselor situation in Taiwan within two months.

Note

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the 1925 or 1995 hotlines in Taiwan or such services in other countries for help.