Taiwanese men returning from overseas are to be eligible for conscription after staying in Taiwan for 183 consecutive days, down from one year, under a proposed amendment, the Ministry of the Interior said on Monday.
The amendment to the Conscription Regulations for Naturalized Aliens and Returning ROC (Taiwan) Nationals Residing Overseas (歸化我國國籍者及歸國僑民服役辦法) would help the nation meet conscription needs and ensure social equality in mandatory military service, the ministry said.
All male Taiwanese expats of serving age who have registered residences in Taiwan would be eligible for conscription after 183 consecutive days in the country, starting the day after they return, the amendment says.
Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
The expats must within three days, following the day they returned, provide their local office with their Taiwanese passport, foreign passport, or their permanent or long-term residency documents, and documents certifying their return from abroad, it says.
Taiwanese returning to study in Taiwan can request to delay their mandatory service until the conclusion of their studies, it says.
Returning Taiwanese whose long-term stay in the country is beyond their control — such as due to disease or natural disasters listed under Item 1, Article 2, or Paragraph One, Article 3 of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法) — and the circumstances have been approved by the ministry would not have that time counted toward the 183 consecutive days.
Those refused entry into their country of residence or forced to return to Taiwan from their country of residence due to special circumstances, such as war, may file to delay their conscription for up to six months, the amendment says.
Should the circumstances result in their continued stay in Taiwan after the six months, they must submit another request to delay their conscription.
Under the amendment, the visas of Taiwanese expats must match the validity date of their passport, and when renewing their passports, they should provide documentation of residency abroad.
The clause “those bearing passports with annotations showing that one is an overseas compatriot” would be removed from the law, and Taiwanese expats would be recognized by a certification issued by the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the amendment says.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over