President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of September 8 met with International Association for Suicide Prevention President Brian Mishara, Ph.D. and Mrs. Mishara, as well as recipients of the Second International Caring for Life Awards. The president expressed his admiration and appreciation for the efforts and contributions they have made in the prevention of suicide and in encouraging the love of life.
The president noted that the suicide rate on Taiwan has grown at a rapid pace over the past 10 years. A decade ago, 2,000 people here committed suicide. This number increased to 4,400 in 2006, before dropping to 3,900 last year. He said he hopes to see a further improvement in the situation this year.
President Ma said that suicide ranks ninth among the Top 10 causes of death on Taiwan, with the number of suicides among people between the ages of 25 and 45 particularly high. He said this is extremely worrisome and that the government will continue to make efforts to reduce the suicide rate.
The president furthermore said that the work carried out by Dr. Mishara and the recipients of the International Caring for Life Awards has helped many people who had originally given up hope on life to reconsider. He said this work is tantamount to giving people a new lease on life and bringing the dying back to life. This is extremely virtuous work and it is worthy of praise from society at large, the president said.
Dr. Mishara responded by saying that he has noticed that Taiwan has a variety of organizations and people who are dedicated to suicide prevention work, noting that this has made a deep impression on him. He suggested that in the future Taiwan could follow the lead of 25 other nations and adopt a national strategic plan for suicide prevention. This would hopefully significantly reduce the suicide rate within the next 5 to 10 years, he said. Dr. Mishara added that efforts among hospitals and medical centers, lifelines, health agencies and religious groups should be coordinated, which he said is the most effective method in preventing suicide.
Dr. and Mrs. Mishara, Compassion Award recipient Wu Xin-an, Wisdom Award recipient Chen Ming-li, and Great Vow Award recipient Taiwan Association for Victims of Occupational Injuries Chairman Ho Kuan-chi were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning to meet President Ma by International Caring for Life Awards Judging Committee Convener Fredrick F. Chien and Venerable Guo Dong, standing chairman of the Dharma Drum Humanities & Social Improvement Foundation. Also in attendance was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Yeh Ching-chuan.