The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday it would not negotiate with Emily Yeh (葉玫), a lieutenant with the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) arrested in the UK, over the conditions for returning to Taiwan.
Yeh was detained at an immigration center in Bedfordshire, England, where she is awaiting deportation for illegally staying in the country.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) told a press conference yesterday that Yeh has been listed as a fugitive on Taiwan’s wanted list and the maximum sentence for her desertion is five years. Lo’s statement is consistent with Article 39 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) and directly refutes the 33-year-old Yeh’s claims that she would face the death penalty if repatriated.
Photo: CNA
People who commit crimes have to face a legal prosecution in that country, Lo added, urging her to return home to face trial.
“We hope the UK will agree to deport her back to Taiwan as soon as possible to face investigation,” Lo said, adding that the military will work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in communicating with UK authorities and facilitating Yeh’s repatriation.
According to MIB, Yeh applied to go abroad on vacation from June 17 to 24 last year, but never returned, adding that she is believed to have attempted to escape service because, as she said, she was “not fit” for military life.
Deputy Director-General of the MND Department of Resource Planning, Major General Pai Chieh-lung (白捷隆), said that according to regulations, Yeh is obligated to complete five years of military service.
Responding to media inquiries that Yeh deserted her work to gain publicity, MIB Chief Executive Official Major General Chen Rong-ming (陳榮明) confirmed that in June 2011 Yeh went to the Taoyuan International Airport under work pretenses to see a Korean male star. She was later disciplined, Chen added.
Separately yesterday, Zhang Ming-zhong (張銘忠), director-general of European affairs at the MOFA, said by telephone that the Taipei Representative Office in the UK sent its officials to visit Yeh.
Yeh has been treated humanely in the detention center, Zhang said.
Representative to the UK Shen Lyu-hsun (沈呂巡) on Thursday confirmed that Yeh has asked for asylum in the UK.
An anonymous source from MOFA was quoted in a Central News Agency (CNA) story condemning Yeh for filing the asylum application, saying it was unwise for Yeh to ask for political asylum in the UK and her behavior has damaged the image of the Republic of China.
In a telephone interview with CNA on Thursday, Yeh was quoted as saying that she does not regret her decision to return to Taiwan from the US a few years ago to pursue a military intelligence career, nor does she regret going to the UK to avoid finishing her service.
The 33-year-old said she comes from a military family. Her father, who died when she was still young, and maternal grandfather served in the Republic of China Army and Air Force respectively.
Encouraged by family members, she took part in a Military Intelligence Bureau recruitment exam in 2010 after completing her studies in nutrition and food science at a California university.
The work environment at the bureau, however, left her feeling disappointed and frustrated, she said.
She recalled being derided and scorned by colleagues for being older and failing to complete assignments well.
While she had informed her superiors many times about what she called discrimination, the situation never improved and her complaints went ignored, she said. In the end, she felt that leaving Taiwan was the only option left open to her.
Yeh claimed that she was forced to leave because of tough working conditions.
She denied speculation that she had visited London to watch the 2012 Olympic Games.
In the interview, Yeh complained that living conditions at the detention center were so bad that she felt jittery and depressed.
She told reporters that she looks forward to returning to Taiwan to reunite with her mother, but would do so only under the condition that she would not be given a prison sentence. While unwilling to spend time behind bars, Yeh said, she is willing to do community service.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai