Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed media reports late Saturday that Taiwan’s former representative to Thailand Chuang Suo-hang’s (莊碩漢) recent resignation was made due to sexual harassment allegations.
MOFA’s confirmation came after local media reports hinted that the 67-year-old Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member was asked to leave the post in Bangkok, less than a year after he was appointed to the position, because he had allegedly sexually harassed someone at the representative office.
When the Presidential Office announced Wednesday that it has approved Chuang’s resignation, MOFA only said the envoy did so for “personal reasons” and that the ministry has full respect over his decision.
According to the United Daily News, Chuang allegedly touched his female secretary’s hands during a car ride to northern Thailand for a business trip last December. Chuang even reportedly asked her to meet him in his hotel room during the trip that lasted a few days, but she declined.
The secretary later reported the incident to the representative office, which ultimately led to Chuang’s resignation. The UDN report indicated that the secretary was not the only victim in the Thailand office.
In Saturday’s press statement, MOFA confirmed that it did receive official sexual harassment complaints targeting Chuang and has since launched an internal probe over the allegations. MOFA did not disclose who made the allegations, for privacy reasons.
Initial probes confirmed such allegations, which was why the ministry immediately asked Chuang to resign from his post, pending further investigation, MOFA said.
The ministry will now refer its investigation results to its sexual harassment complaint review committee for further probes before handing out official punishment.
MOFA did not say what kind of punishment Chuang might be facing given the fact that he was a political appointee and not a career diplomat.
Chuang was named Taiwan’s top envoy to Thailand on June 13, 2022, before officially taking up the post in Bangkok on July 31 that year.
Before taking up the post in Thailand, Chuang was the vice chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).
He had previously served as Cabinet spokesman, deputy minister of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, and a DPP legislator from 2005 to 2008 when the party was in opposition.
He took up the Thailand post to fill the vacancy left by the departure of then-representative Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), who resigned in August 2021 due to poor health.
Neither the Presidential Office nor MOFA has yet to announce who will succeed Chuang.
