Defense experts called on the Ministry of Defense to create a standard code for maintaining discipline, after local media on Saturday reported that nine officers were reprimanded for administering inappropriate punishments to a conscript in Kinmen.
Earlier last week, a boot camp recruit surnamed Chung (鍾) was stripped of his shirt and had icepacks placed against his armpits and crotch as a punishment for napping during physical training, the Kinmen Defense Command confirmed on Saturday.
The command cadre of the battalion, including the battalion commander, the political warfare officer and the sergeant who ordered the drill have been transferred and could face criminal charges depending on the results of a military police investigation, it added.
Photo: CNA
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) on Saturday questioned the proportionality of the punishment against the officials.
“The Ministry of National Defense should create a code of discipline and training that is standardized across the branches of the armed forces,” said retired army major general Richard Hu (胡瑞舟), a researcher at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies.
Forced standing, extra physical training, self-critique, and the cancelation of leave and other privileges are acceptable methods of punishment that should be codified into the guideline, while lawbreakers should face criminal charges, Hu said.
Creating a separate system of military justice is not necessary for maintaining discipline, he added.
“The Japan Self-Defense Forces have no military courts, and the French Armed Forces only convene these types of courts in extraordinary circumstances. These countries show us that it is possible to have well-disciplined troops without resorting to military courts,” Hu said.
National Chengchi University international affairs professor Chen Wen-chia (陳文甲) said that the culture of command responsibility and mutual aid must be improved in the armed forces.
A unit’s command personnel must understand that they are responsible for the actions taken by their subordinates and that the law is to be followed to the letter, he said, adding that the public must also appreciate the necessity of collective punishment in the military.
“Complete trust and flawless teamwork must exist for a military organization to function,” he said. “Knowing how to strike a balance between discipline and trust is the test of good leadership.”
Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the military should enhance recruit training, such as by putting more emphasis on field exercises and honing combat skills.
“Collective punishment is perhaps necessary for the military, but those in charge should do more to understand why such incidents occur before taking disciplinary measures,” he said.
If the top brass overreacts to perceived failures, they risk causing discontent in the junior and noncommissioned officers who form the backbone of the military, or making instructors too wary of disciplining troops at all, he said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS