Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) yesterday said he has proposed an amendment that would relieve former citizens of the obligation to serve in the military, following reports that a man who had forfeited his citizenship for Chinese residency was sent a service notice.
Taiwanese who have obtained People’s Republic of China (PRC) residency or citizenship should not be obligated to serve their mandatory military service, as this presents national security risks, Shen said.
Access to data and facilities for such people must be restricted to uphold national security, he added.
Photo: Taipei Times
Shen said he and DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) delivered the amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee on May 2.
A nation’s passport is an important symbol of one’s country, and the PRC is a foreign enemy force in the eyes of Taiwan, he said.
The existing regulations were intended to prevent people from dodging their obligations to Taiwan by citing their status in China, the draft says.
However, if the person is already a resident in China or holds a Chinese passport, it is clear that they have no sense of loyalty to Taiwan, it says.
The Chinese-language United Daily News previously reported that a person in Taipei was informed by their local district office last year that their nephew had to serve their mandatory service within three months or risk legal consequences.
However, their nephew had already renounced his Taiwanese citizenship and claimed PRC citizenship.
The Ministry of the Interior said that all men with PRC residency or citizenship who formerly held Taiwanese residency or citizenship are by law obligated to serve their mandatory military service, per Article 9-1 of the act.
This obligation should not be lifted simply because they are no longer citizens, the ministry said.
The ministry urged all people eligible for mandatory service not to try to dodge their obligations by forfeiting their citizenship or leaving the country, adding that the ministry would continue to work with local governments to ensure that household registry data are in sync.
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