Failure to report move leaves conscription notices undelivered, 20-year-old man charged in Keelung

A 20-year-old man in Keelung has been charged after moving without reporting his new address, leaving authorities unable to deliver two notices ordering him to report for military service.

The Keelung District Prosecutors Office said the man, identified by his surname Hsieh, moved from his home in the city’s Ren’ai District early last year. The city government first ordered him to report on May 5 at Douhuanping in Miaoli County. His mother signed for the notice, but told authorities that her son had disappeared after becoming wanted in a separate case and that she could not contact him.

Keelung officials issued a second notice in September, ordering Hsieh to report on Oct. 28 at Guanxi in Hsinchu County. A neighborhood officer posted a collection notice at his registered address, but Hsieh had already moved and had not reported his new residence to the Ren’ai District Office. The second notice therefore also failed to reach him.

Prosecutors concluded that Hsieh knew he had completed his physical examination and was required to serve. They said his disappearance after the move showed both an intention to evade conscription and conduct consistent with that intention. He faces prosecution under the provision covering failure to report a change of residence that prevents conscription processing, an offense punishable by up to five years in prison.