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Justin Lin still
facing prosecution: MND
By Rich Chang / Staff Reporter
Justin Lin (ªL¼Ý¤Ò), who defected to China in 1979 and currently works as a top
official at the World Bank, is a ¡§traitor¡¨ who could face execution and there is
no expiry date on his prosecution, a military official said yesterday.
¡§Although cross-strait relations have improved, the Chinese Communist Party is
still the biggest threat to our security and the ministry will not allow a
traitor to undermine the core values of the military,¡¨ Vice Minister of National
Defense Lin Yu-pao (ªL©ó°\) told a meeting of the legislature¡¦s National Defense
and Foreign Affairs Committee.
Lin Yu-pao made the remark in response to a question by Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) Legislator Liu Shen-liang (¼B²±¨}) on whether there was a statute of
limitation on the charge of treason against Justin Lin.
After defecting to China in 1979 when he was serving as an army captain on the
outlying island of Kinmen, Justin Lin has since become a renowned economist in
Beijing.
He is currently a senior vice president and chief economist for the World Bank.
In July 2009 the Control Yuan censured the military over its accusations of
treason against Justin Lin, saying the warrant for his arrest was only valid for
20 years and had expired.
However, the military has ignored this fact and the warrant is still in force,
the Control Yuan said.
In May 2002, Justin Lin filed an application from Beijing to return to Taiwan to
attend his father¡¦s funeral. Taiwanese authorities approved his application but
warned that he could face the legal consequences of his defection if he
returned.
Justin Lin decided not to risk detention and did not attend his father¡¦s
funeral.
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