A Taiwanese Army sergeant surnamed Hu and his friend got lost in the waters off Fujian Province in March while fishing and were detained by the Chinese Communist Party for 144 days due to their military status. On August 7th, Kinmen legislator Chen Yu-chen went to mainland China to bring back Mr. Hu. After being discharged, Mr. Hu returned home to enjoy a meal of pork knuckle noodles, saying “It feels really good to be home.”
The 25-year-old sergeant surnamed Hu from the Kinmen Defense Command of the Republic of China Army and his 40-year-old friend Mr. Wu from Kinmen County went fishing on March 17th. They encountered heavy fog and drifted into the waters near Quanzhou, China, where they were found by Chinese coast guard. However, Hu was detained while Wu was successfully handed over to Kinmen Coast Guard on March 23rd and returned home.
On March 22nd, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party stated that Mr. Hu was an active member of the Taiwanese military but failed to truthfully disclose his identity, and “fabricated false occupational information with the intent to conceal.” Relevant departments needed to further verify and understand the situation.
Today, Kuomintang legislator Chen Yu-chen brought Mr. Hu’s parents and daughter to Xiamen to accompany him back to Kinmen. Mr. Hu expressed his joy upon returning home to eat his mother’s pork knuckle noodles, saying “This is the taste of home, it feels really good to be back.”
Earlier, on March 23rd, the Kinmen Defense Command of the Republic of China Army released a press statement stating that Sergeant Hu, Deputy Gun Captain of the Kinmen Defense Battalion, went fishing during his vacation but lost contact due to heavy fog. He had proactively contacted his family and unit to report that he had been found by mainland Chinese coast guard and was safe. The Defense Command emphasized the importance of coordinating actively with relevant units and the Kinmen County government to ensure the safe return of personnel by upholding humanitarian principles and strengthening the awareness and vigilance of soldiers to prevent them from engaging in risky activities during their leisure time.
Sergeant Hu hoped to complete the procedures for halting service to be able to return to Taiwan as a non-active military personnel. On May 14th, the Republic of China Army announced that Sergeant Hu had applied for retirement through his family, which took effect on May 8th. However, they continued to coordinate with units such as the Kinmen County government to ensure the safe return of personnel to Taiwan as soon as possible.
Despite applying for retirement on May 8th, Sergeant Hu remained detained by the Chinese authorities and could not return. On June 22nd, accompanied by Legislator Chen Yu-chen, Mr. Hu’s family visited mainland China hoping to resolve his situation similar to the incident on February 14th involving the Chinese Communist Party’s speedboat capsize which had no registration or identification, in order to expedite Mr. Hu’s return home.
On August 6th, the chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, Chiu Chui-cheng, stated that Mr. Hu had been detained for over 100 days, a situation that everyone found inexplicable, but he would be able to return on the 7th. The Mainland Affairs Council has been in contact with the family, and everyone hopes for his swift return to his hometown in Kinmen.