Sixteen of the 20 bodies that have been found on Taiwan’s west coast
since February have been identified, with nine of them being Taiwanese and
seven Vietnamese, police said yesterday, adding that they were investigating
whether a wooden boat might be linked to the bodies. Most of the deaths are
believed to have resulted from a boat that capsized in the Taiwan Strait
during a human trafficking operation seeking to bring Vietnamese to Taiwan
to work, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said.
Investigators examined a boat found off Chiayi County to assess whether
it had been carrying the people. The boat had capsized in high waves, CIB
officials said. A vessel has been listed as missing from a fishing port in
China’s Fujian Province, they said. Since Feb. 18, 20 bodies have been
recovered, one of them on a wind turbine platform off Changhua County.
Vietnamese IDs were found on two of the bodies, while a mobile phone on
another had a photograph of 14 people that was most likely a group shot
taken just before they boarded a vessel, investigators said.
The seven Vietnamese were identified by fingerprinting and DNA tests,
while the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei assisted with the
work and contacted relatives of the deceased people in Vietnam. After
autopsies were conducted on the nine Taiwanese, prosecutors and police
units clarified details with family members and friends, determining that they
had drowned after being swept out to sea or had committed suicide.
Normal procedures were followed for families to collect the bodies for burial.
CIB investigators said that the human smuggling operation had probably
been bringing people from northern Vietnam.
Managing a problem
From: Jo Backhouse
To: Karl Anderson
Date: 17 October
Subject: Support for Judy
Dear Karl, I received a call from Judy a couple of days ago to discuss some
of the issues that she was having and I thought I’d give you a heads-up on
what was said, seeing that you are Judy’s project team leader. Judy really
enjoys working with you and the team and finds the project very interesting,
but I think she’s feeling a bit lost and struggling to see the big picture. It
seems that she’s been given a fair amount of autonomy to carry out the tasks
that you’ve given her, and of course this level of delegation is not uncommon
in your branch. But I believe in her Tokyo office, she is used to a bit more
managerial direction and guidance and so is finding this international project
quite daunting. When I asked her about meeting her deadlines, she
mentioned that due to the recent changes to the project timeline, her
goalposts have been moved, and she doesn’t seem to really understand why
this has happened. Bearing in mind that she’s also facing simultaneous
deadlines from her department in Tokyo, we can presume that she might be
feeling a bit stretched. Looking ahead, I was wondering if we could make it
easier for Judy by offering her more direction when setting her tasks, at least
until she learns the ropes and gets used to working unsupervised. I think
she’d also appreciate you giving her a clearer idea on how her role in the
team fits into the overview of things. Do you think you could maybe outline
the group and individual targets at your next team meeting and that way,
everyone not only gets a reminder of the end goal, but each team member,
including Judy, might have a more holistic view of the whole project? I was
also thinking it might help to touch base with her every so often to make sure
that she’s up to date with any changes to the overall plan of attack. In the
meantime, I’ll write to her manager in the Tokyo office and see how aware
they are of the deadlines you’ve given her, and if they could in some way
review her responsibilities and co-ordinate her tasks so that she doesn’t
constantly feel pulled in both directions. Judy is an extremely conscientious
worker and is eager to contribute positively to the team. Personally, I think
she is someone with high potential and will be an asset to our international
projects if properly mentored. I’m keen to know your thoughts on the matter
and am open to any suggestions on how we could better support Judy so that
she has a more smooth-sailing experience on the team.
Best regards,
Jo Backhouse
Head of Department International Projects
Why is Jo writing to Karl?
A
To suggest that his management style is not suitable for the current members of his team
B
To let him know about the issues his team member is facing and help him manage them
C
To tell him how to solve his problems
D
To ask him to take it easy on Judy and not give her too much work
Who might benefit from having a better overview of the project and a better understanding of how the individual tasks fit together to achieve the group target?
