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44-year-old St. Lucian educator, Leonard Robinson, was found dead on the streets of Taiwan’s capital. (CMC Photo)
TAIPEI, Taiwan, CMC – Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has confirmed that a 44-year-old St. Lucian educator, who was here for a short-term Mandarin training programme, had been found dead on the streets of the capital but that foul play has been ruled out.
MOFA in a statement said that it had expressed its condolences to the St. Lucia government after the official, identified by the Embassy of St. Lucia in Taiwan, as Leonard Robinson, was found dead on December 12.
The MOFA’s statement followed local media reports that St. Lucia’s Ambassador to Taiwan, Robert Kennedy Lewis, was spotted at the 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 prosecutor’s office.
Robinson’s body 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.
The state-owned Central News Agency (CNA), quoting sources, said prosecutors found no signs of foul play after an autopsy and determined that Robinson died from an illness.
According to separate posts made by the St. Lucia Embassy here, and Taiwan’s embassy in St. Lucia, Robinson was a Modern Language Curriculum Officer in the St. Lucian Ministry of Education and had been attending a three-month Mandarin Training Programme in Taiwan.
The St. Lucia Embassy said he was “instrumental” in the introduction and implementation of Mandarin teaching at 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 Facebook post called Robinson “a valued friend” and that 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, St. Lucia’s 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.
