Residents from Hong Kong and Macau might soon be able to register as volunteer soldiers after living in Taiwan for 10 years under amendments proposed by the Ministry of National Defense.
The Act of Military Service for Volunteer Enlisted Soldiers (志願士兵服役條例) currently requires people from China and the two territories to have a household registration in Taiwan for at least 20 years before they can enroll as a volunteer soldier.
The changes would halve the requirement for people from Hong Kong and Macau, while keeping it the same for residents originally from China.
Photo: Reuters
The time period was selected considering language in the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong and Macau Affairs (香港澳門關係條例), the ministry said.
Under the law, residents from the territories are barred from registering as candidates for public office, serving in the military or organizing political parties if they have not maintained a household residence for 10 years.
The amendment would also remove the phrase “physical weakness” from the criteria for being retired from active duty, the ministry said, citing imprecise language.
If removed, it would leave “illness and injury” as criteria for retirement.
In other news, former chief of the general staff Lee Hsi-min (李喜明) on Friday said that Taiwan should overhaul its reservist training system to create a more effective military reserve force, rather than maintaining one that is large, but “not so useful.”
Although Taiwan has a 2 million-strong military reserve force, it does not have sufficient equipment, weapons, or trainers for such numbers, which makes the system not particularly useful, said Lee, who served as chief of the general staff from 2017 to 2019.
One way to improve the existing reservist system is to adopt Singapore’s method of requiring reservists to undergo monthly training conducted over one weekend, in addition to having them attend a 14-day annual training program, the review said.
A highly mobile and well-trained reserve force would help to alleviate pressure on the military when trying to maintain a sizable regular force, but to achieve that goal would require reforms to be implemented, Lee said.
He recommended introducing an all-voluntary reserve force system and having volunteers attend a special forces training program, in addition to equipping them with portable weapons such as suicide drones or shoulder-mounted Stinger and Javelin missiles.
If one out of 10 active reservists volunteered, the armed forces would have a 200,000-strong reserve force, which when dispersed across Taiwan would be a formidable deterrent, especially if they operate as guerrillas, Lee said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS