President's only son to enter military service

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son, who caught the public's attention last year by singing that he wanted to become a soldier, will finally get his wish when he is inducted into the military to answer a draft call in July, a local Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday.

According to the report, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), the only son of Chen Shui-bian, will graduate from National Taiwan University this spring, and has chosen to enter Taiwan's 22-month mandatory military service before continuing with his studies, although he would be eligible for deferment if he were accepted by any graduate school.

Chen Chih-chung has already passed a screening to serve as a military legal clerk, and his parents reportedly prefer that he perform his military service before continuing with further studies.

The younger Chen's conscription will also help reassure people that his father's campaign promise -- that he would not seek war with Beijing -- still holds true.

Military spokesman Hwang Shui-sheng (黃涗生) was reported as saying that the president's son will be treated the same as any other conscript, and will not be given special treatment.

Last year Chen appeared in a commercial for his father's presidential campaign. He was shown singing a song in which he expressed his wish to be a soldier.

The advertisement was aimed at scuttling the claims of his father's political rivals that a victory for Chen Shui-bian in the election would put the country on the path of military conflict with Beijing because of his pro-independence stance.

Chen's campaign used the commercial featuring his son to emphasize that he would carefully steer the country away from war, since his own son was scheduled to serve in the army during his term in office.

His son's induction may also ease criticism of the president's future son-in-law Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), who has been the subject of media speculation that he used fraudulent documents to avoid military service.

Current law requires that all Taiwanese men who have reached 18 years of age and have finished their studies serve in the military for 22 months.