Speaking at a committee meeting in the legislature on April 18, Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Yu-pao (林於豹) said that the criminal act committed by Justin Lin (林毅夫) when he defected to China in 1979 continues to this day, so there can be no question of a time limit for prosecution having passed.
Lin Yu-pao said that defection has to do with the core ideology of military personnel, is not permissible and may be punishable by death, according to the law. He said that although relations across the Taiwan Strait have relaxed, China is still a big threat, and the core ideology of the nation’s military has not changed.