Residents from Hong Kong and Macau might soon be able to register as volunteer soldiers after living in Taiwan for 10 years under amendments proposed by the Ministry of National Defense.
The Act of Military Service for Volunteer Enlisted Soldiers (志願士兵服役條例) currently requires people from China and the two territories to have a household registration in Taiwan for at least 20 years before they can enroll as a volunteer soldier.
The changes would halve the requirement for people from Hong Kong and Macau, while keeping it the same for residents originally from China.
Photo: Reuters
The time period was selected considering language in the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong and Macau Affairs (香港澳門關係條例), the ministry said.
Under the law, residents from the territories are barred from registering as candidates for public office, serving in the military or organizing political parties if they have not maintained a household residence for 10 years.
The amendment would also remove the phrase “physical weakness” from the criteria for being retired from active duty, the ministry said, citing imprecise language.
If removed, it would leave “illness and injury” as criteria for retirement.
In other news, former chief of the general staff Lee Hsi-min (李喜明) on Friday said that Taiwan should overhaul its reservist training system to create a more effective military reserve force, rather than maintaining one that is large, but “not so useful.”
Although Taiwan has a 2 million-strong military reserve force, it does not have sufficient equipment, weapons, or trainers for such numbers, which makes the system not particularly useful, said Lee, who served as chief of the general staff from 2017 to 2019.
One way to improve the existing reservist system is to adopt Singapore’s method of requiring reservists to undergo monthly training conducted over one weekend, in addition to having them attend a 14-day annual training program, the review said.
A highly mobile and well-trained reserve force would help to alleviate pressure on the military when trying to maintain a sizable regular force, but to achieve that goal would require reforms to be implemented, Lee said.
He recommended introducing an all-voluntary reserve force system and having volunteers attend a special forces training program, in addition to equipping them with portable weapons such as suicide drones or shoulder-mounted Stinger and Javelin missiles.
If one out of 10 active reservists volunteered, the armed forces would have a 200,000-strong reserve force, which when dispersed across Taiwan would be a formidable deterrent, especially if they operate as guerrillas, Lee said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS