A conscript returned to a Tainan military base yesterday morning, three days after he went absent without leave (AWOL), the army said.
The incident was reportedly the first in which a conscript has been AWOL since Taiwan’s military reintroduced the one year of compulsory military service starting this year, an increase from only four months previously.
The conscript, surnamed Liu (劉), began his eight-week boot camp training in the Tainan-based 203rd brigade on Tuesday last week, but was reported AWOL late on Thursday, the 8th Army Corps said in a statement.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Now that Liu has returned to the base, the brigade is to begin an official probe of the incident before sending the case to military police for follow-up legal proceedings, it added.
According to Article 40 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), a soldier who leaves their post without reason or does not return to service for more than six days may be punished with a maximum three-year imprisonment or a fine of up to NT$300,000.
No official punishment is listed in the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces for those who return to their base within six days.
A report by the China Times said that Liu had been listed as a potential “high risk” conscript after completing the required psychological check every conscript must go through before starting compulsory service.
Liu reportedly climbed the iron fence surrounding his Tainan base on Thursday night, and surveillance footage showed a car picking him up after he left the base, the China Times said.
There have been concerns that the number of conscripts going AWOL could rise after the government extended the military service to one year.
Only 43 AWOL cases were reported between 2019 and last year, a period in which conscripts were required to perform four months of military service.
However, 338 AWOL cases were reported between 2009 and 2013, when conscripts served for one year, military data showed.
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