Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday said that there was no compelling reason to pay compensation to former Army 1st Special Forces personnel, but the government would look at the issue from legal, rational and sympathetic standpoints.
The situation of the servicemen who served between 1967 and 1986, whose military service was extended by one year to three years, became a hot issue after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) introduced a draft bill in the legislature calling for them to receive compensation for their extra years of service.
Chai said the government violated the Military Service Act (兵役法) by forcing them to serve — through an administrative decree — the extra years.
EXTRAORDINARY
However, government officials said the extension was legal and carried out under extraordinary circumstances.
“In 1967, the country was unstable and in need of manpower to fill vacancies left by retiring officers and servicemen,” Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) said.
Kao said the 567,407 men were recruited and served their time according to the law during a very unique period of the country’s history. He said if all of the former soldiers were to be compensated for their extra year of service, it would create a huge dent in the government’s finances.
Wu said the nation’s population of 13 million at that time needed an armed force of 600,000 to protect them.
“The Ministry of National Defense did its recruiting on the basis of law to ensure Taiwan’s security and prosperity,” Wu said.
BILLIONS
According to a ministry estimate, if all of the servicemen were given monetary compensation, it would cost the national coffers NT$190 billion (US$6.46 billion).
However, in recognition of the men’s contributions to the country, Kao said the ministry was considering some sort of “spiritually comforting” way of showing respect, such as giving them special rates at ministry--operated hotels and resorts, as well as subsidized daily necessities.
Chai was unimpressed, saying he would call on the former troopers to take to the streets on March 13 to “fight for their own interests.”
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