《TAIPEI TIMES》 Bill seeks to boost defense readiness

GREATER AUTHORITY: The draft amendments would allow the government to set penalties for people who hoard goods or who disseminate false information

By Wu Su-wei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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The Ministry of National Defense （MND） is planning amendments to the General Mobilization Act （全民防衛動員準備法） to augment the nation’s mobilization preparedness.

In its draft amendments, the ministry is planning to include separate mobilization categories for the media, finance and information and communications sectors.

There would be preparation phases for workforce allotment, finance, transportation, health and sanitation, technology, and the military, the draft amendments say.

Regarding the information and communications sector, authorities would have a mandate to reorganize personnel working in publication, broadcasting, Internet platforms or other media service providers to handle the documentation and investigation of news and false information, the ministry said.

Preparations for the finance sector would include efforts to stabilize domestic finances and foreign-exchange rates, the draft amendments say.

The draft would include pre-mobilization preparations and actual mobilization, and the act’s name would be changed to the “available mobilization act.”

Mobilization preparations encompass peacetime preparations, while mobilization is defined as when the president orders a general or partial mobilization — in accordance with the Constitution — in the event that war breaks out, war is imminent or due to a disaster emergency.

Once the president declares mobilization, all readiness programs would transition to actual mobilization status, the draft amendments say.

The Executive Yuan would establish a reaction center to lead local government reaction centers. Local governments, if ordered to, would have priority access to all media and communications devices to report on the status of the war, emergency contingencies and other related information, the drafts says.

Once amended, the act would give the central government the power to allocate resources among all levels of government.

People caught driving up prices or hoarding goods without a legitimate reason would face a prison sentence of one to seven years and a fine of NT$5 million （US$164,042）, the draft amendments say.

Individuals drafted by the government who fail to appear at the designated area at the appointed time would be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and have to pay a fine of NT$7 million.

Those disseminating false information on mobilization or drafting that could harm others during mobilization would face up to three years of prison and and a fine of NT$1 million.

The draft amendments say that those who disseminate false information via broadcast, electronic communications or the Internet could have their sentence doubled.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES