Gov't mourns death of St. Lucian education official visiting Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday said it expressed its condolences to Saint Lucian government officials after an education official from the Caribbean ally was found dead in Taipei earlier this month.

MOFA told CNA in the statement that the official, identified by the Embassy of Saint Lucia in Taiwan as Leonard Robinson, was in Taiwan for a short-term mandarin training program at MOFA's Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) before his death on Dec. 12.

Winston Chen (陳文儀), president of IDIA, expressed the ministry's condolences to Saint Lucian Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis after learning about Robinson's death.

Taiwan's ambassador to Saint Lucia also expressed his condolences to Saint Lucian Education Minister Shawn Edward, MOFA added.

MOFA's comments were made after a local media reported Monday that Ambassador Lewis was spotted at Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

The Chinese-language EBC cable news channel quoted unnamed sources as saying the envoy was there to claim the autopsy certificate issued by the prosecutors office on a 44-year-old Saint Lucian male given the fact that the foreign national did not have family in Taiwan. The dead man was later identified as Robinson.

An unnamed source told CNA Monday that the foreign national was found lying on the ground on section 1 of downtown Taipei's Dunhua South Road. He was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Prosecutors found no signs of foul play after an autopsy and determined that Robinson died from an illness, the source added.

According to separate posts made by the embassy of Saint Lucia in Taiwan and Taiwan's embassy in Saint Lucia, Robinson was a Modern Language Curriculum Officer in the Saint Lucian Ministry of Education and had been attending a three-month Mandarin Training Program in Taiwan.

The Saint Lucian embassy said in a Facebook post on Dec. 13 that Robinson was "instrumental" in the introduction and implementation of Mandarin teaching at the several secondary schools in the Caribbean country.

"His passion for teaching and foreign languages is seen throughout the course of his career as an educator, where he positively influenced his students into pursuing language studies, particularly in French and Spanish."

Taiwan's embassy in its Dec. 12 Facebook post called Robinson "a valued friend" of the embassy and his "collaborative spirit and commitment to fostering cultural exchange will be remembered as part of his enduring legacy."

"We extend heartfelt condolences to his family, colleagues, and friends. May his contributions inspire future generations, and may his soul rest in eternal peace," it said in the post.

In a social media post, Saint Lucian Education Minister Edward also expressed the sadness of Prime Minister Philip J Pierre, Cabinet members and the staff of the Ministry of Education at Robinson's passing in Taipei