Rights group says military service can kill

Even without a war, more than 400 Taiwanese soldiers are killed and 1,000 are injured during their military service every year, according to a local human rights group.

Members of the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights in the Military (軍中人權促進會) staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the Martyrs Shrine (忠烈祠) in Taipei, where President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was to attend a memorial service for Taiwan's war dead.

The demonstrators urged the president to do all that he could to improve the human rights situation in the military.

The demonstrators, however, failed to present Chen with their petition because security guards formed a "human wall" to ensure smooth passage of the president's convoy of cars.

Chen Po-chao (陳伯昭), a human rights consultant to the Ministry of National Defense, said the president should demonstrate the same resolve in eliminating abuse, improper disciplinary measures and military trials as he had vowed in investigating the murder of navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓).

"Privates and seamen are human beings, just like navy captains," said Chen.

More than 20,000 complaints of human rights violations in the military are still pending, according to the association.

Present at the protest were two former airmen, Luo Chang-ping (羅樟枰) and Su Huang-ping (蘇黃平), charged by the military over one of several thefts of arms and ammunition from an air force depot in Taoyuan late last year and earlier this year. The defense ministry handed out penalties to a total of 74 officers and airmen on Feb. 15 for the thefts. Luo and Su were not among those punished.

The two completed their military service two months ago, but the military has not dropped charges against them. Luo said he and Su have been unable to find jobs because of the charges.

Yesterday was Armed Forces Day in Taiwan, which marks the end of the Sino-Japanese War following Japan's World War II surrender in 1945.

Taiwan, as a Japanese colony, was on Japan's side during the war and many of its people were obligated to serve with the Japanese military.

Nevertheless, yesterday's memorial service centered around a dedication ceremony for a memorial in honor of the more than 17,000 KMT troops killed in India during World War II.

In cooperation with the Allied forces, KMT troops stationed in the Indian theater began launching counterattacks against the Japanese along the India-Burma border in October 1943. The offensive dragged on until the spring of 1945, when the Allies reclaimed control of the China-India highway.

The deceased KMT servicemen were buried in three cemeteries rediscovered in 1979, 1996 and 1999 respectively along the Indian border. The defense ministry has repaired the gravesites and built monuments there in honor of the men's service.