To prevent soldiers from being abused, a group of academics and retired generals yesterday suggested that a "military personnel law" be passed to clearly define the duties and responsibilities of military personnel.
"Soldiers are not second-class citizens. They should be citizens in uniform. Their duties should not include killing and burying hogs infected with foot-and-mouth disease. Nor should they be involved in cleaning up oil pollution from the beach as has happened recently," said Academia Sinica scholar Chen Hsin-ming (
"It is one of the reasons why we need a `military personnel law.' We need the law to establish the status of military personnel as `citizens in uniform,' Chen said.
Military personnel should no longer be treated unfairly, as they are now," he said.
Chen is one of the scholars promoting the legislation of the law.
Chen made the remarks yesterday at a press conference held by the KMT-affiliated National Policy Foundation to illustrate why a military personnel law is necessary for the country.
Scholars and retired generals associated with the foundation also showed up to drum up support for the move.
Su Chi (
"The former KMT-run government made mistakes and improperly used military personnel on missions such as reaping rice crops for farmers and handling hogs infected with foot-and-mouth disease," Su said.
"We are not seeking to create troubles for the DPP-led government. We hope they will not repeat the same mistakes as we did before. We hope the proposed new law will be beneficial not only to military personnel but also to the whole country," he said.
Speaking on the same occasion, retired Lieutenant General Shuai Hua-ming (
"Military personnel should not be used on missions that can be dealt with without their participation. When I was an army company leader several decades ago, I was required to sign an agreement with the civilian sector on behalf of my company to provide assistance if a neighboring nuclear power plant developed problems," Shuai said.
"I signed the agreement, but I could not help asking myself what kind of assistance my company could offer to that nuclear power plant. We had not been trained or equipped to handle a nuclear contingency. Fortunately, nothing of the kind has happened yet," he said.
With a military personnel law in place in the future, Academia Sinica's Chen said military commanders at all levels would have to adjust themselves to new leadership principles.
"The existing leadership principles demand that subordinates strictly obey their superiors. These principles often contribute to a disrespect for human dignity. I once heard a four-star general abuse a three-star general with very insulting language," Chen said.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a