Facing possible criminal charges for his defection to China 23 years ago, former army officer Justin Lin (
"I appreciate that the Taiwanese authorities approved my application in light of humanitarian concerns," Lin said in a statement issued last night.
"But to avoid creating more troubles for Taiwanese society, I have decided not to return," he added.
Lin said that he will hold a memorial ceremony for his father in Beijing tomorrow.
In Lin's statement, the former officer said that he has a clear conscience for what he did 23 years ago and that he is glad to learn from the media that none of his colleagues had been caught up in the incident.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major-General Huang Sui-sheng (
Lin's wife, Chen Yun-ing (陳雲英), who arrived in Taipei yesterday, will represent her husband at the funeral and read an address written by Lin.
"It's regretful that he can't return to Taiwan, especially given that we were born and grew up here," Chen said at the CKS Airport yesterday afternoon.
Reacting to criticism about her husband's defection two decades ago, Chen said, "History will eventually give him a just judgment."
Lin's older brother, Lin Wan-sung (林旺松), echoed his sister-in-law's feeling about his brother's decision last night.
"We are feel bad that he couldn't come back. It's a pain for us," Lin Wan-sung said.
Justin Lin requested permission last week to return to Taiwan for his father's funeral.
The government agreed on Friday to allow Lin to enter the country, but the authorities also said that the military justice department is starting an investigation into the case and that no one could say how the prosecutor would deal with the case.
Legislators from across party lines have accused Lin of being a traitor and military officers have argued that allowing Lin to visit without prosecuting him for his defection would hurt morale.
Lin Wan-sung lauded the government for granting permission for his brother's visit on humanitarian grounds, but faulted it for failing to indicate whether his brother's case would be prosecuted.
"Whether to come back is his decision, but the government should have made the legal issue clear," Lin said.
Lin further argued that it's unfortunate the issue became politicized.
"He thought he could visit Taiwan quietly, but the debate is so hot. He must be concerned about society's stability," Lin said.
Lin added that he believes his brother didn't betray the country and is a defector at most.
"We believed that China was part of our country back then. With that logic, which country did he betray?" Lin asked.
Justin Lin is now an economic consultant to Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji (
He is alleged to have snuck away with military documents and to have swum 2.3km to China's coast.
Once in China he changed his name from Lin Cheng-yi (
He later earned a doctorate from the University of Chicago.
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