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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 MOI to counter draft dodging with tougher penalties
Conscripts practice shooting in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of the Interior
BOLSTERING THE SYSTEM:The amendment includes a minimum one-year prison term and more jail time to deter conscripts from evading their duties, the interior ministry said
/ Staff writer, with CNA
The Ministry of the Interior （MOI） said it has drafted tougher penalties for evading alternative military service, given recent cases of conscripts avoiding the draft.
To prevent conscripts from evading their duty, the ministry said it proposed amendments to Article 55-1 of the Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services （替代役實施條例）, which would be open for public comment until Aug. 10.
Military service is a constitutional duty of citizens, it added.
There has been growing concern over cases in which conscripts remained overseas, deliberately injured themselves or altered their physical condition to avoid service, the ministry said, adding that existing penalties have not been enough to deter such behavior.
Other eligible conscripts might act with impunity and do the same, ultimately undermining the fairness of the system, it said.
A key element of the draft amendment is the introduction of a minimum one-year prison sentence.
The law sets a maximum penalty of five years in jail for people who intentionally evade alternative military service, but in most cases, contraveners receive deferred prosecution, or a prison term of six months or less that can be converted into fines, the ministry said.
To bolster deterrence and uphold fairness in the conscription system, the amendment proposes a penalty of one to five years in prison, it said.
Another key provision of the draft is raising prison time penalties by two-thirds for those who delay service until they age out of eligibility, the ministry said.
Under the law, men are no longer obligated to serve after the end of the year they turn 36, it said.
To prevent people from exploiting the law, the amendment includes a provision that allows longer jail terms for those who evade alternative service until they pass the exemption age, the ministry said.
Overall, the draft amendment aims to bolster the conscription system and ensure fairness by increasing penalties for those who seek to evade alternative military service, the ministry said, adding that the changes are not a major policy shift in military service, but ensure that male citizens of Taiwan fulfill their legal obligations.
By raising the minimum sentence and introducing provisions for harsher penalties in certain cases, the proposal’s goal is to strengthen deterrence against the evasion of alternative service, it said.
Those who comply with their military duties would not be adversely affected, it added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
