The Executive Yuan today approved a set of amendments that would see active-duty military personnel who express loyalty to the enemy sentenced to one to seven years in prison.
The amendments would also increase penalties for the offense of defecting to the enemy, raising the maximum sentence to 10 years in prison.
President William Lai (賴清德) in March, following a high-level national security meeting, announced 17 strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats.
Photo: CNA
The Cabinet has continued to review and consolidate relevant laws, administrative measures and plans related to the 17 response strategies, with four sets of revisions approved at today’s meeting.
The approved amendments concern the National Security Act (國家安全法), the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), the Act of Military Service for Officers and Non-commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官服役條例) and the Veterans Assistance Act (國軍退除役官兵輔導條例).
The approved amendments are to be sent to the legislature for review.
Amendments include changes to Article 24 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces that would impose a one to seven-year sentence on active-duty military personnel who show loyalty to the enemy via means of speech, actions, writing, images, electromagnetic records, technological methods or other means.
Defecting to the enemy would also carry an increased sentence, rising from one to seven years to three to 10 years in prison.
Those who prepare or conspire to defect to the enemy, including those who fail to fulfill their duties with the aim of defecting, would face six months to five years in prison under the new amendments.
Meanwhile, amendments to articles 24, 25 and 41 of the Act of Military Service for Officers and Non-commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces would stipulate that all officers and non-commissioned officers, whether on active duty or suspended from service, who are sentenced to a fixed term in prison for committing sedition or treason would not be granted retirement or discharge benefits as per Article 13-1 of the National Security Act.
If the conviction becomes final after discharge from service, they would also lose the right to receive any benefits, and benefits thus received would be recovered under the new amendments.
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