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Hungs say recording
shows flaws
DISSATISFACTION: The family said it has given up
hope in the military judicial system, while the new defense minister said he
would step down if there was another incident
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Former minister of national
defense Kao Hua-chu, right, yesterday visits the Greater Kaohsiung home of Hung
Chung-chiu, the army corporal who died last month, to apologize once more.
Photo: CNA
The sister of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu
(¬x¥ò¥C) yesterday released an audio recording to back up the family¡¦s claims that
military prosecutors had not conducted a thorough investigation and said the
family had ¡§given up hope¡¨ of military justice after a ¡§flawed and hasty¡¨
indictment was announced on Wednesday.
At a press conference in Greater Taichung, Hung Tzu-yung (¬x·O±e) played a
recording of a July 4 conversation between family members and Army 542nd Brigade
Captain Wu Yi-chu (§dÁl¦Ë), chief counselor of Hung Chung-chiu¡¦s company.
In the recording, Wu told the family that he was aware the company¡¦s
non-commissioned officers had bribed a hospital nurse to speed up the corporal¡¦s
physical exam report.
The report played a pivotal role in Hung Chung-chiu being sent to a military
detention center on June 28. He died of heat stroke on July 4 after a series of
strenuous exercises.
The recording would appear to contradict the investigation report released by
the Ministry of National Defense and the Supreme Military Court Prosecutors¡¦
Office, which said no bribery has been found in the physical exam process.
¡§We do not think that the prosecutors have tried to find the motives behind my
brother¡¦s death and we find it difficult to trust the military after the hasty
investigation¡K They were insincere with their pledge [to find the truth] and we
have given up hope in the military judicial system,¡¨ Hung Tzu-yung told
reporters.
Meanwhile, at the Legislative Yuan, Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang
(·¨©À¯ª), who assumed office yesterday, denied that the military judiciary had
tried with Wednesday¡¦s indictment to protect high-ranking officers by making
non-commissioned officers bear responsibility for the case.
¡§Actually, a one-star general and several other high-ranking officers have also
been indicted over the incident, he said.
However, despite being pressed by lawmakers, Yang declined to comment further on
the indictment except to say that the ministry could only respect the
indictments drawn up by military prosecutors and the legal system would
determine if the charges were appropriate.
Yang said the Hung family could submit its audio recording to military
prosecutors and demand that the investigation be reopened.
After lawmakers panned the ministry on the military¡¦s appeal system, which many
believe contributed to the corporal¡¦s death, Yang said the system was effective
and provided multiple channels for seeking help, such as the 1985 hotline, the
ministry¡¦s Military Personnel Rights Committee and an e-mail address that he and
his aides could access directly to handle complaints.
He said he would step down if there is a repeat of the Hung incident.
¡§I assure all of you that there will be no more cases similar to the death of
Corporal Hung Chung-chiu. If there are, I will take full responsibility and step
down,¡¨ he said.
He also denied claims that the ministry had wiretapped either the mobile phones
of the Hung family or organizers of a protest planned for tomorrow against the
government¡¦s handling of the corporal¡¦s death.
Yang said that under a plan the ministry is drafting to improve the human rights
situation in the military, all applications for detention or reviews would be
handled by a company-level personnel review meeting and approved by superior
commanders and the army corps.
The ministry is also planning to establish a disciplinary court to review all
detention and punishment orders, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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