Lin Yifu should not be forgiven

While authorities here have said Lin may return anytime he wants, a warrant for his arrest remains outstanding because in May 1979, he abandoned his post while serving as an Army company leader on the frontline island outpost of Kinmen (Quemoy) and defected to mainland China.

After his defection, Lin openly admitted swimming across the narrow channel that separates ROC-held Kinmen from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen, leaving behind his wife and a child on Taiwan.

Lin, who received his master's in business administration from National Chengchi University in 1978, went on to get a master's degree in Marxist political economy from Peking University after his defection and eventually a Ph.D. in economics from the prestigious University of Chicago. He later returned to mainland China, reunited with his abandoned spouse, and became an economics professor at Peking University. He also founded the China Center For Economic Research, a prominent institution involved with economic research and predictions.

Ever since Lin first sought permission to return to Taiwan to attend his father's funeral in 2002, many influential people have urged the government to grant Lin lenient treatment because he defected such a long time ago.

Since Lin became the World Bank's chief economist in 2008, these people have noted that as he is among a tiny handful of Taiwanese who are carrying out leadership roles in major international organizations, he is helping demonstrate to the world that Taiwan can play a meaningful role in the international community.

These opinions are absolutely correct and it is indeed true that Lin's inability to return to Taiwan is nothing less than a humanitarian tragedy rooted in Cold War rivalry.

However, the Ministry of National Defense is also correct to keep Lin on its list of wanted defectors because no matter how much things have changed, Lin broke the law and should be held accountable for doing so.

No matter what kinds of high offices Lin might have been promoted to on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, the fact remains that he was an officer in the ROC Army who abandoned his post on a crucial frontline position and defected to the other side.

1|2|Next Page>>

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email