The Ministry of National Defense is addressing Taiwan’s light sentences for national security contraventions through legal reforms and by improving internal military security, while pushing amendments to the Military Trial Act (軍事審判法), Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today.
Koo’s statement comes after the Control Yuan yesterday urged stricter punishments for military personnel convicted of contravening national security regulations by spying for China, saying that the average sentence is 12.7 times shorter than in other democratic countries.
The ministry has proposed amendments to the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法) increasing the penalties for expressing “loyalty” to the enemy and for “conspiracy” and “premeditation,” Koo said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Military personnel involved in an espionage case would also be deprived of their pension rights in accordance with Article 13 of the National Security Act (國家安全法), he said.
The military is enhancing internal security through patriotism education to boost awareness, with many cases now uncovered through internal reporting, Koo said.
Personnel with access to classified information undergo security vetting based on their clearance level, he added.
Amendments to the Military Trial Act are being reviewed by the Executive Yuan and would afterward be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review, Koo said.
Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that government agencies and civil society must remain highly vigilant and work together to counter Chinese infiltration tactics targeting Taiwan, which are constantly evolving.
It should become a national consensus, he said.
To protect Taiwan from new forms of Chinese infiltration, there are several national security-related amendments that need to be passed by the Legislative Yuan, Chiu said, urging cross-party support for the amendments.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan and CNA
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