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AWOL intelligence officer says she does not regret decisions

ROC Central News Agency

2013/12/20 18:33:01

London, Dec. 19 (CNA) The Taiwanese AWOL military officer detained in the United Kingdom for overstaying said Thursday she does not regret her decision to return to Taiwan from the United States a few years ago to pursue a career in military intelligence.

Nor does Emily Yeh, a lieutenant with the Military Intelligence Bureau, repent heading to the U.K. without permission in mid-June last year to avoid finishing her service.

In a telephone interview with CNA, Yeh recounted how and why she arrived in the U.K. June 18, 2012 via Thailand with no plans to return in the short term.

The 33-year-old said she comes from a military family. Her father, who died when she was still young, and maternal grandfather had served in Taiwan's Army and Air Force, respectively.

Encouraged by family members, she took part in a Military Intelligence Bureau recruitment exam in 2010 after completing her studies in nutrition and food science at a California university.

The work environment at the bureau, however, left her feeling disappointed and frustrated, she said.

She recalled being derided and scorned by colleagues for being older and failing to complete some assignments satisfactorily.

While she had informed her superiors many times about what she called discrimination, the situation never improved and her complaints went ignored, she said. In the end, she felt that leaving Taiwan was the only option left open to her.

Yeh claimed that she was forced to leave because of tough working conditions.

She filed a plan with the bureau to go on leave to Thailand on June 17, 2012. But she also bought a forwarding ticket to the U.K. since Taiwanese passport holders enjoy visa-free entry for a period of up to six months.

She denied speculation that she had visited London to watch 2012 Olympic Games.

'That's a sheer rumor. I stayed in Newport (in South Wales) since my arrival in the U.K.,' she said.

Yeh said she applied for political asylum with British airport authorities after arrival but does not know of the progress of her application as of now, a year and a half later.

The British Home Office at first provided her with an accommodation in Newport as she had an American friend living there.

Barred from work due to her visa-free and later illegal status, she endured an impoverished life in the U.K., relying on donations from church friends for food and clothing.

She began volunteering with Oxfam, an aid and development charity, as well as serving as an interpreter for the Welsh Refugee Council prior to her detention by immigration authorities.

Yeh was arrested by six British immigration officers Dec. 10 for illegally staying in the country.

Held first at a police station for four days, Yeh was eventually transferred to an immigrant removal center in a London suburb Dec. 14 before being transferred again to a facility in Bedford in east England the following day.

Yeh complained that living conditions at the detention center were so bad that she felt jittery and depressed.

Without any idea where she would be sent next, she cried through the night and fell ill, eventually necessitating a hospital visit to get an IV drip.

She also recalled that she once retained a lawyer to negotiate with Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, but the ministry demanded that she return to Taiwan to resolve relevant issues in person.

As a staff member at the Bedford immigration removal center has told CNA that Yeh is allowed to receive visitors, she said she is willing to accept visits by Taiwan's officials stationed in the U.K.

While she does not regret fleeing to the U.K., Yeh, an only child, did express concern over her mother.

'I feel deeply sorry for causing trouble for my mother, and I miss her very much,' she said.

Yeh's asylum application is based on the claim that she will face the death penalty if she returns for deserting her post -- a claim which have been rebutted by Taiwan's representative in London and are inconsistent with relevant laws.

In an apparent shift in tone, she told CNA Thursday that she looks forward to returning to Taiwan to reunite with her mother, but would do so only under the condition that she would not be given a prison sentence.

While unwilling to spend time behind bars, Yeh said, she is willing to do communiuty service instead.

(By Jennifer Huang and Sofia Wu)
enditem/WH