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Tainan military prison becomes history

ROC Central News Agency

2014/01/13 13:39:47

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Tainan military prison, the only one of its kind in Taiwan, became history Monday with the transfer of its remaining 65 inmates to various civilian prisons in accordance with the country's revised Code of Court Martial Procedure.

In addition, nine suspects who are being held in custody pending further investigations were transferred to detention centers in several different jurisdictions.

The 65 military prisoners were all sent to the civilian Tainan Prison to serve out their sentences.

The large-scale prison transfer followed the relocation of 243 military prisoners to 11 civilian prisons last August in the first-phase reform of the country's court martial system.

As part of the reform, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is expected to reassign to civilian judicial authorities 160 court trials and 280 cases that are pending further investigations.

The defense ministry said it has also given the Ministry of Justice a list of fugitive military personnel and it is up to civilian judicial or law enforcement authorities to decide whether such military officers should remain on the wanted list.

Among them is Justin Lin, an Army company leader who defected to China in 1979 while serving on the outlying defense outpost of Kinmen. The list also includes Liu Kuan-chun, a National Security Bureau section chief who fled abroad in 2000, and Lt. Emily Yeh, who went AWOL after flying to the United Kingdom via Thailand in June 2012.

Meanwhile, the ministry said, military judges and prosecutors will be given new assignments. Those who had served in the Military Supreme Court and Prosecutors Office will be divided into two groups to staff the military's legal service centers in northern and southern Taiwan, the ministry said.

The 246 judicial staff at lower-level military courts will be assigned to various military units, including the combined arms brigade, to handle judicial affairs or legal services, the ministry said.

Under the revised court martial code, which was passed by the Legislative Yuan on Aug. 6 and promulgated by the Presidential Office on Aug. 13, all military servicemen will be subject to the civilian justice system during peacetime.

The push to overhaul the court martial system came after the death of Army Corporal Hung Chung-chiu on July 4 following a series of alleged irregularities, disregard for military rules and procedures, and abuses of power.

The incident triggered huge public protests and calls for improved human rights and reforms within the military.

(By Claudia Liu, Chang Jung-hsiang and Sofia Wu)
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