The Ministry of National Defense should immediately discipline officers implicated in the death of military police private Chien Chih-lung (簡志龍), Chien’s family and legislators said yesterday, accusing the ministry of dragging its feet over the case.
Chien became seriously ill after beginning military training in October last year and died of sepsis shortly after arriving in the emergency room at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Linkou (林口) branch.
Chien was reportedly quarantined to his military base until the last minute after he was misdiagnosed with the flu, preventing him from receiving timely treatment.
Chien’s father, Chien Shun-chou (簡順周), said his son was transferred to the hospital only after he traveled to his son’s Taoyuan base after receiving a desperate telephone call.
“My son said that he hurt so much that it was impossible to walk, so I called his commanding officer, who said he would take care of it and there was no need to worry,” Chien Shun-chou said at news conference cohosted by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) and New Power Party Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸).
He said the military was failing to discipline the officers responsible for the incident.
“Someone has died, but they keep passing the buck and have not disciplined anyone. They keep putting things off. All we want is the truth and an explanation,” he said.
Hung, whose brother, army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), died in 2013 after being ordered to perform exercises as punishment, said the military was failing to take substantial action to address the case.
“Four months have passed, but we still have not seen any action by the military,” she said. “No one has been disciplined so far. While the legal system will issue a final verdict, what is the military’s disciplinary response to the fact that [Chien Chih-lung] did not receive proper care for five days?”
She said that administrative discipline, such as reprimands and serious demerits, should be dispensed promptly rather than waiting for the final conclusion of the legal process, which often drags on for years.
Lin accused military officials of “shielding one another,” saying that regardless of the court investigation’s final result, there was a clear violation of internal rules mandating that soldiers with fevers higher than 39oC be allowed to seek outside medical help.
She called for a list of officers to be disciplined to be presented in two weeks, as well as the addition of 300 alternative military service medical personnel at army bases.
“Reform must be made to integrate military medical facilities and resources with outside hospitals and clinics, allowing the military to become more proficient in treating ill health and serious cases,” she added.
Military police spokesperson Hsiao Shih-ming (蕭時明) said the unit has been cooperating with investigators, adding that commanding officers have been transferred to other posts.
However, findings cannot be disclosed at this time, because the case is under judicial review to determine if there were violations of the law, Hsiao added.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
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