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[Global Network Report] According to Taiwan's United Daily News on July 31, self-harm cases in the Taiwan military are emerging one after another. The Taiwan Audit Department reported that the number of deaths from self-harm in the Taiwan military has gradually increased since 2020, and last year it had exceeded car accidents, becoming the number one in the number of accidental deaths in the Taiwan military. In particular, the number of deaths from self-harm from January to May this year has reached 13, which is 100% more than the 6 in the same period last year, "highlighting that the problem of self-harm in the Taiwan military has become increasingly serious."

In March this year, a guard at Tsai Ing-wen's office shot himself at the door, and the police rushed to set up a cordon. Photo from Taiwan's United Daily News

According to reports, the Taiwan Audit Department reported that the total number of "accidental injuries" in the Taiwan military in the past five years (2019 to 2023) was 737 (300 deaths, 434 injuries, and 3 missing), mainly including "car accidents", "self-injury", "training and exercises", etc. Car accidents have shown a downward trend since 2019, but the number of deaths caused by self-injury has gradually increased since 2020, surpassing the number of deaths caused by car accidents since 2023, becoming the leading cause of death in the Taiwan military.

The report mentioned that the number of self-harming people in the Taiwan military in the past five years was 40, 25, 33, 25, and 35, totaling 158 people, of which 97 died. From January to the end of May 2024, there were 17 self-harming people (13 of whom died), compared with 12 people (6 deaths) in the same period of 2023, both the number of self-harming cases and the number of deaths have increased sharply.

The report also analyzed the reasons for self-harm in the Taiwan military, with adaptation problems and mental illness being the main reasons for women, and economic problems being the main reasons for men. Soldiers were more likely to have problems adapting to their relationships and the environment, while NCOs were more likely to have economic pressure problems, and officers were more likely to have work pressure problems.

According to previous media reports, Chiu Kuo-cheng, former head of Taiwan’s defense department, said in Taiwan’s legislature in March this year that the number of self-harming members of the Taiwan military is indeed increasing, and “some people have weaker stress tolerance,” but “the Taiwan military will not blame the parties involved. It is always a pity that such things happen, and it will bring trauma to families and troops.”