TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On March 10, 2023, a section leader at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, named Wang Chih-hua (王之化), fell to his death in a case of suspected suicide.
On April 3, a public statement from Wang’s widow, Yu Hui-min (俞惠敏), began to circulate online, stirring more questions about the official’s death. In her statement, Yu accused the head of the Sao Paulo TECO office, Feng Kwang-chung (馮光中) and others, of corruption and bullying in relation to Wang’s death.
Yu addressed her statement to Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), demanding justice for Wang and calling on MOFA to fully investigate the incident. Wang reportedly made a recording prior to his death explaining the situation. Yu asked in her statement if Minister Wu was aware of this audio recording.
Wang Chih-hua (王之化) took up his post at the Sao Paulo TECO office in mid-2022 and was tasked with overseeing the office's finances. He served as an official for over 30 years, and had served in Brazil for almost nine months before he died on March 10, 2023, reported UDN.
Wang reportedly fell from the 16th floor of a residential building where he was living. Shortly after the incident was first reported, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a statement that it would assist his family and look into the incident, while also asking TECO offices in Brazil to assist with funeral arrangements.
The UDN report on the incident and Yu’s recent public statement suggested that Wang was under extreme stress due to exorbitant expenses used to repair and refurbish the official diplomatic residence of Feng Kwang-chung in Sao Paulo. It is reported that around US$400,000 (NT$12.2 million) was spent on repairing and refurbishing the residence.
According to the widow’s statement, Wang refused to hastily write-off these expenses, which brought him into conflict with Feng. Yu claimed that because of Wang’s reluctance to reimburse these funds, Feng threatened to use the incident to frame Wang for embezzlement. Alledgedly, his abusive work environment may have led to Wang's decision to take his own life.
Yu claimed that after Wang’s death, Feng attempted to spin a narrative that Wang was depressed over his divorce from his previous wife. Yu, Wang's second wife, whom he married in 2021, strongly disputes this narrative.
On Monday (April 3), MOFA issued a statement in response to Yu’s allegations. MOFA said it will continue to investigate the issue to determine the pertinent facts surrounding Wang's death.
Those considering suicide should immediately call the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center at 1925, or Taiwan Lifeline International at 1995. Foreign residents can call the Community Services Center's emergency hotline at 0932-594-578, 24 hours a day.
