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.
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