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.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS