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.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
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.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,