March 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
A Taiwanese professional soldier who went missing from his post in Kinmen county on Thursday is in China, although it is still too early to tell whether the soldier has defected, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has reported.
This was reported by the MAC minister, Chiu Tai San, reporting that the Chinese authorities had notified Taiwan of the soldier’s whereabouts, all while they are in the process of returning him to the island, according to the CNA agency.
Chiu has stressed that Taiwan will follow similar procedures to return Chinese nationals found entering Taiwan illegally, adding that the parties have traditionally had a mechanism to communicate on issues such as emergency response and fighting crime.
Regarding the accusations and speculation that the soldier is a “deserter”, Chiu has stressed that this is a legal determination that only the Ministry of National Defense could make, according to the aforementioned agency.
The 26-year-old soldier, identified as Private First Class, was reported missing after failing to report for roll call on Thursday morning on Erdan Island, a small island in Kinmen’s Lieyu Township, located less than 5 kilometers from China.
