To counter military threats from China, Taiwan may consider developing a civilian-based defense system to enhance its overall self-defense capabilities, university military instructors suggested yesterday.
The system suggested for adoption by the military is a defense concept relatively new to Taiwan.
It highlights the use of non-violent action by civilians to counter aggression from an enemy or suppression from the government. The non-violent action could take many forms, ranging from refusal to cooperate to protests and even sabotage.
It was first introduced into Taiwan by a group of DPP members as a way of resisting the former ruling KMT.
Albert Lin (林哲夫), chairman of the Taiwan Research Association of National Peace Security, is one of the most vigorous proponents of the system.
Through Lin's persuasion over the past few years, the military has been talked into accepting civilian-based defense and is ready to list it as one of the defense concepts to be taught in military education courses in senior high schools and colleges.
At a conference on such systems held yesterday by the research association, military instructors from colleges in Taipei expressed support for the acceptance of civilian-based defense as a concept that students from senior high schools up must learn.
Colonel Liao Teh-chih (廖德智), the chief of military instructors at Tamkang University, said the military may consider developing such a system as part of its defense capabilities. Liao made the remarks as he presented a paper at the conference.
"Civilian-based defense is a defense mechanism focused on civilians. Civilians should be trained for non-violent action they can launch against the enemy if their country is occupied by the enemy," Liao said.
"It could become a multiplier to the overall self-defense power of the country. It could also become a deterrent force against the enemy since the enemy will be worried about what kind of action it will meet from the people of the country they are going to invade," he said.
Quoting foreign scholar Gene Sharp, Liao said the system could be effectively used by Taiwan against a potential invasion from China. Sharp is one of the most distinguished scholars in the field of civilian-based defense. He visited Taiwan's Tri-Service University, the predecessor of the National Defense University, six years ago to speak on the subject.
"In his analysis of Taiwan's national defense, Sharp says it is hard for Taiwan to mobilize all of its military resources against a potential invasion from China since Taiwan is much smaller than China," Liao said.
"Sharp says if Taiwan keeps investing large sums of money on a military build-up, it will affect the nations's economic development. Sharp suggests that Taiwan develop alternative weapons to replace conventional weapons. The alternative weapons could be psychological, social, political or economic," he said.
Commenting on Liao's paper, National Security Council official Lieutenant General Liu Hsiang-pin (劉湘濱) cast doubts on the effectiveness of the system.
"There is nothing new about civilian-based defense. Our military already has similar concepts in its defense thinking. These concepts are generally known as part of our passive defense," Liu said.
"Civilian-based defense stresses the use of non-violent action against the aggressor. But action must be violent to achieve its greatest effect against the enemy," Liao said. "We must not put too much emphasis on civilian-based defense although it could be developed as part of our defensive power."
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