Taiwan is to reinstate military trials to counter Chinese infiltration and military espionage, President William Lai (賴清德) told reporters after convening a national security meeting this morning.
Restoring military trials would allow the judiciary and prosecutors to handle cases in which military officers commit crimes such as rebellion, leaking confidential information and aiding the enemy, Lai said.
The government has no choice but to take proactive action, as China is a “foreign hostile force,” as defined by the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), he said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
China is deliberately infiltrating Taiwan’s military and conducting espionage activities, he said, citing a National Security Bureau report that showed the number of people prosecuted for involvement in espionage cases tripled last year compared with 2021.
Of the 64 people prosecuted, more than 66 percent were serving or retired military officers, he said.
The China Unification Promotion Party, the Rehabilitation Alliance Party and the “Republic of China Taiwan Military Government” are pro-China rebel groups established to build up military power in Taiwan, he said, describing the situation as “unimaginable,” yet possible in a free and democratic country.
China has been taking advantage of Taiwan’s freedom and openness to “absorb” members of its society, including people in organized crime groups, media personalities, and current and former military and police officers, he said.
It is time to implement preventive measures to improve our democratic resilience and national security to protect our free and democratic way of life that is much cherished, he said.
Reforms would be implemented, including enacting laws regulating military tribunals, and personnel management and organization, he said.
The Ministry of National Defense would provide further information and elaborate on the matter to garner public trust and support for the change, Lai said.
The ministry is to discuss making “showing loyalty to the enemy” punishable by amending the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), he said.
The aim is to discourage military officers, serving or retired, from doing or saying anything that could harm the morale of the military and to uphold its discipline, he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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