A military intelligence officer who deserted her post more than 18 months ago and went into hiding in the UK, returned yesterday afternoon after being repatriated by British authorities.
Lieutenant Emily Yeh (葉玫), who was assigned to the Military Intelligence Bureau, was put on a plane in London by British authorities on Saturday and was guarded by British and Taiwanese officials throughout the flight.
Upon arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 2:10pm, Yeh, 33, almost broke down in tears as agents announced she was under arrest and handcuffed her.
She was then taken to the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office for further questioning.
The Ministry of Justice said Yeh had been listed as a fugitive by the military since June 29, 2012, and that she could be tried for desertion.
Article 39 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) states that “a person who tries to abscond from military service for a long period “is liable to “imprisonment of no more than five years.”
The ministry added that Yeh’s case was among those transferred to civilian judicial authorities on Monday last week, as part of the nation’s reform of its military justice system following the death of an army corporal in military detention last year.
Yeh, who was serving in Greater Taichung, had been granted vacation time from June 17 to June 24, 2012, to visit Thailand, but she failed to return, according to the bureau, adding that she was believed to have attempted to escape service because, as she said, she was “not fit” for military life.
Yeh said she traveled to the UK via Thailand.
She took up residency in Newport, Wales, until she was arrested on Dec. 10 last year for overstaying her visa.
Her passport had been invalidated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once it was discovered that she had not returned to Taiwan.
She was later put into a detention facility in Bedford, England, pending deportation.
At the time, Yeh said that she had sought political asylum in Britain, but did not succeed.
At the airport, Yeh’s attorney, Kuo Teh-ten (郭德田), issued a statement, saying that Yeh, considering her mother is getting old, decided to come back to Taiwan voluntarily, hoping she could stay with her mother during the Lunar New Year holidays.
In the statement, Yeh said she applied to resign from the military many times before her five-year term was up, but was rejected, adding that the bureau had violated her right to employment liberty provided by the Constitution.
Shortly after Yeh’s return, the foreign ministry issued a statement, thanking British government agencies for helping to send Yeh back.
Over the past few weeks, the government had been in close contact with the UK on the matter of repatriating Yeh, the ministry added.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major-General David Lo (羅紹和) also urged her to honestly admit Yeh mistakes.
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