An army sniper was discharged from the military and is facing an investigation after police at Taichung Airport found three bullets in his luggage before he boarded a flight to Kinmen in October, the military said yesterday.
The corporal surnamed Chen (陳), who had been serving in the army’s Aviation and Special Forces Command in Kinmen, was dishonorably discharged on Nov. 10, after police at the airport found three 5.56mm rifle rounds in his luggage, command spokesman Major General Wang Chun-chieh (王俊傑) said.
Chen is also being investigated by civilian prosecutors, Wang said, without further elaboration.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported that Chen was one of several military snipers chosen to participate in a sniper training session in Taichung in September.
Chen performed well during the training, so he decided to keep three bullets that he had not fired as souveniers, the report said.
He had meant to keep them at his home in Taichung, but he forgot to take them out of his luggage, where they were found by the airport police, it said.
The command is making an example of Chen, to remind military personnel to avoid making similar mistakes, Wang said.
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