A proposed revision of military physical classifications is still under review, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said yesterday, amid criticism that the rules violate human rights by reclassifying transgender people as subject to alternative military service, rather than granting an exemption.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) in December last year announced that it would change physical classification standards for conscripts, after news broke of several celebrities evading military service by presenting forged medical documents.
The National Human Rights Commission previously raised concerns that these revisions would require transgender people — who have until now been exempt — to undergo alternate military service.
Photo: Taipei Times
These changes could undermine human rights, as examinations, physical classification processes, basic training and assignments lack gender-friendly protections, the commission said.
Transgender people at Chenggong Ling (成功嶺) military training camp face communal living arrangements, a male-centered management model and are forced to expose their bodies, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Liu Shu-bin (劉書彬) said.
Over the course of this year, doctors would assess whether individual cases are suitable for alternative service or should be exempt, and transgender-friendly accommodations at Chenggong Ling would be improved, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said yesterday.
The defense and interior ministries are jointly handling revisions to the physical classification standards, with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, medical associations and human rights groups participating to ensure medical expertise, fairness and human rights protections, the MOI said in a news release.
When the physical classification standards were revised in 2006, the exemption rate was 8 percent, but now it is 16 percent, the interior ministry said.
The government has been reviewing the fairness of military conscription and considering other countries’ policies, such as Singapore with an exemption rate of 3 percent and Korea and Israel with exemption rates of 5 percent, the ministry said.
It would continue to consider the views of medical professionals and gender rights groups, and work with the MND to balance human rights with fairness, it said.
Alternative service classifications would be further divided by service type and nature, so that placements better match conscripts’ physical conditions and practical needs, it added.
The government would also strengthen gender-friendly environments and ensure healthcare and medical safety for conscripts during training, MOI said.
Measures include assessing conscripts’ needs before entry, improving facilities and management during basic training, expanding gender equality and human rights training for officers, and refining service arrangements and supporting measures, an MOI official said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
RSS