Disinformation about the possibility of a military conflict across the Taiwan Strait has become prevalent ahead of Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections, the Taiwan FactCheck Center said.
The increasing volume of out-of-context information and fabricated rumors pertaining to a possible cross-strait war is being created to fuel anxiety among Taiwanese as the election draws near, said the center, a non-governmental organization that was established in 2018.
Analyzing disinformation about a cross-strait conflict that emerged last year showed that content creators attempted to draw a stark contrast between the militaries of Taiwan and China, painting the latter as a hugely dominant force, the center said.
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The false narrative also portrays the US as incapable of protecting Taiwan and might even sacrifice Taiwan’s safety if necessary, it said.
The false reports also claimed “the Taiwanese government has started drafting civilians, even older ones, in preparation for war,” it said.
Disinformation about Taiwan’s military conscription surged last year amid calls in Taiwan for better civil defense preparation and as the Ministry of National Defense was proposing amendments to the General Mobilization Act (全民防衛動員準備法), the center said.
The draft amendments say that the government would plan how best to mobilize civilians, including members of the alternative military service, to ensure that the country is well prepared in peacetime and has adequate resources in the event of a national emergency.
As part of emergency preparations, the Ministry of Education should examine the possibility of maintaining a list of students over the age of 16, the proposed changes say.
However, some Taiwanese media distorted the proposed rules, claiming that the government was planning to deploy students to fight and would force young people to manufacture weapons in the event of a war, the center added.
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