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.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS