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Military's `hug-hug' policy suspended

Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) came under fire in the legislature yesterday over the military's "hug-hug" policy.

"It was initially thought that the policy would help new recruits feel more comfortable in their new surroundings. However, I also understand that many of them do not like it. So we will cancel the policy immediately," Lee said.

Lee made the remarks during yesterday morning's National Defense Committee at the legislature where the "hug-hug" policy was ridiculed and criticized by legislators.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁芳) said that the policy was written down in black and white.

The "manual" also "teaches" new recruits "how to hug each other closely."

"Here, it says that `when you hug a person, your body shall stick to his or her body closely.' Things like this will only make rookies tense. It is not going to improve anything," Lin said.

Another KMT Legislator and retired general, Shuai Hua-min (帥化民), poked fun at the policy and said it would create a bunch of sissies.

"What is this all about? This is the military, not Ang Lee's (李安) Brokeback Mountain" Shuai said.

Lee explained that the idea actually came from the "give me five" gesture.

"We hope that everybody would treat each other like family," Lee said.

Lin then asked Lee to perform a demonstration "hug" with General Political Warfare Bureau Chief Chen Kuo-hsiang (陳國祥), but Lee refused.

"We are old friends already so we do not need to do that," Lee said.

The minister was then criticized for forcing soldiers to do something that he would not do himself.

Lee promised to suspend the "hug-hug" policy immediately.
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