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
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard