Meerssen Councilors Guilty of Suicide

The wife of the late councilor Jo Dejong of Meerssen, in an interview broadcasted on Tuesday by the regional broadcasting L1 and by EénVandaag, alleged that the councilors of the municipality of Meerssen were all guilty. Jo Dejong committed suicide ​​on  March 11, after the council had unanimously turned their back on him. This was after Dejong kissed a female officer of the municipality against her will at a carnival. He offered his apologies  and resigned under the pressure, but the board did not want to have  anything to do with him anymore. His wife Annette Dejong spoke of a 'political conspiracy'. According to her, each councilor was asked, “Do you, next year, want to be associated with a rapist?'' They  were also told, “If you keep pounding on someone's personality, then you commit character assassination. And that's inexcusable.'' Dejong became inconsolable because of this. His son, Gieljam, said in the TV interview, “He was afraid that he had to leave his village.” After his death, his own party, PJD, fell apart and all the aldermen resigned. On Thursday the council will have talks with Jan Mans, whom they expect to make things work again in Meerssen.