Control Yuan members who are investigating the alleged defection of army Lieutenant Wang Yi-hung (
Members Lee Shen-yi (
The two spent much of yesterday questioning the bureau's commissioner, Tseng Wen-chang (
Prevention
Lin and Lee said steps must be taken to prevent similar communication lapses from occurring again.
"When the ministry of defense only gives the bureau a list of active duty personnel, rather than a clear list of which soldiers are not allowed to leave the country, of course it's easy for soldiers to leave the country without permission," Lin said.
Wang was given annual leave from Sept. 19 to Sept. 25, but was forbidden from leaving the country. He left the country on an unauthorized trip to Thailand on Sept. 19. From there he flew to Beijing on Oct. 7, together with his wife and 11-month-old baby.
Trip to thailand
Wang traveled to Thailand on Sept. 19, during his scheduled vacation time. Wang had been granted leave, but had not been given permission to leave the country.
He then flew from Bangkok to Beijing on Oct. 7, together with his wife and 11-month-old baby girl.
When he did not return to duty as scheduled on Sept. 25, the military launched an investigation into his whereabouts.
Lee said Tseng told them that the bureau did not receive notice that Wang had illegally left the country until Oct. 15, long after Sept. 25, the day the military says it learned Wang was in Thailand.
"If military personnel did know that Wang was in Thailand at that early date, they had plenty of time to take the necessary measures to order him to return home. Instead, the ministry missed this golden window to redeem the matter. [That failure to act] suggests they are negligent," Lin said.
As for the bureau's role, the two members said they must be far more prudent when it comes to checking the identity and travel documents of military personnel.
"They are not entitled to check these documents without due care," Lee said.
It is believed that Wang forged a permission document from his supervisor to allow him travel to Thailand.
"The bureau of immigration should be held responsible for their careless examination [of Wang's documents]," Lin said.
The two also expressed their doubts about military claims that because of Wang's lower rank, he would not have been privy to confidential information.
Speculation
They also dismissed speculation that Wang may have made an illegal deal with a travel agency to assist his departure, saying they had already ruled out that possibility.
The members also decided they would travel next week to the missile unit in Hualien where Wang was stationed to clarify unclear points of the case.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS