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Two more officers taken into custody over soldier's death

ROC Central News Agency

2013/07/18 19:53:23

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) Two more military officers were detained Thursday over the death earlier this month of an Army conscript who was being punished for bringing a camera phone onto his base.

Maj. Hsu Hsin-cheng, a company commander in the Army's 542nd Armor Brigade in Hsinchu County, was taken into custody on charges of obstructing the personal freedom of Corporal Hung Chung-chiu and giving him punishments beyond statutory provisions, the Prosecutors Office of the Military Supreme Court said in a statement.

Staff Sgt. Fan Tso-hsien was also arrested Thursday in connection with the case.

Hung, a 24-year-old graduate of National Cheng Kung University, died July 4 from heatstroke after a stint in disciplinary confinement. He was sent to the brig June 28 after he was found to be carrying a camera phone in violation of a standing order.

He was due to remain in the brig for a week but on July 3, collapsed after a forced drill in high temperatures. He died the following day in a military hospital.

His death has sparked a public outcry and the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has since taken a series of steps, including an administrative investigation that has resulted in punishments being handed down to more than 30 officers and non-commissioned officers.

Hsu was the second Army officer to be held in the ongoing judicial investigation into Hung's death, after Col. Ho Chiang-chung, deputy commander of the 542nd Armor Brigade, who was detained Tuesday.

Prosecutors said Hsu failed to abide by military regulations to convene an assessment meeting on how to discipline Hung for his violation of a standing order.

Instead, Hsu agreed to a recommendation reached at a non-commissioned officers' meeting to send Hung to disciplinary confinement, prosecutors said.

In seeking Hsu's detention, prosecutors said they were concerned that he would destroy evidence and collude with other suspects.

The Military High Court granted the prosecutors' request at around 6 a.m. to detain Hsu.

Later in the day, the court also granted prosecutors' request to arrest Fan, who was accused of abusing his power as chairman of a non- commissioned officers' assessment meeting to influence the vote of the others present.

According to prosecutors, Fan was trying to carry out Hsu's wishes to have Hung put into disciplinary confinement.

Master Sgt. Chen Yi-jen was also questioned Thursday as a witness but was released in the evening.

Earlier in day, Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu apologized again over the matter and promised to get to the bottom of the case.

He said the incident has hurt the image of both the country and the military. The armed forces have learned a bitter lesson and are determined to carry out comprehensive reforms so as not to let down the public again, he said.

(By Rogge Chen and Sofia Wu)
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