In the first year of reinstating one-year mandatory military service last year, 993 people signed up for voluntary service, a rate of 14.2 percent, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said today.
Ministry spokesperson Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) and Major General Cheng Chia-chi (成家麒), who heads the human resources division at the ministry’s Department of Resource and Planning, provided an update on the implementation of one-year conscription at a news conference.
The 993 people who chose to serve voluntarily were out of a total of 6,956 conscripts, the ministry said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The first group of conscripts reported for duty on Jan. 25 last year, with the first of them being discharged on Jan. 18, Cheng said.
The conscripts passed through basic training and joint exercises, Cheng added.
Of the 6,956 recruits last year, 2,047 have been discharged so far, he said.
In addition to the 993 soldiers who switched to volunteer service, 1,871 personnel volunteered for combat units and 331 were discharged early or suspended service for medical reasons, for a total of 3,761 serving in garrison units, Cheng said.
This year, the Ministry of the Interior estimates that 9,839 conscripts would be drafted, Cheng said.
Training is to expand to include new weaponry, such as missiles and anti-tank weapons, Cheng added.
The recent freezes and cuts to the ministry’s budget would not affect conscript training, including on new weapons, said Chen Chun-nan (陳俊男), head of the training division.
To ensure conscripts go through comprehensive training, there is one 13-week base training period, in addition to an eight-week, four stage boot camp.
With regards to the recent "immediate response" drills, officials said that the exercise was focused on regular forces, with conscripts tasked with a supporting role.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS