MOI to counter draft dodging with tougher penalties

Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is moving to tighten penalties for individuals attempting to evade alternative military service, introducing a draft amendment that proposes a minimum one-year prison sentence. This initiative comes in response to a growing number of cases where conscripts have sought to avoid their mandatory service.

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Military service is a constitutional duty of citizens.

The ministry highlighted concerns over conscripts remaining overseas, deliberately self-injuring, or altering their physical condition to escape their duties. Current penalties, often resulting in deferred prosecution or short prison terms convertible to fines, have proven insufficient to deter such behavior. The MOI fears that this leniency could encourage others to act with impunity, thereby undermining the fairness of the entire conscription system.

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There has been growing concern over cases in which conscripts remained overseas, deliberately injured themselves or altered their physical condition to avoid service, the ministry said, adding that existing penalties have not been enough to deter such behavior.

Key provisions in the proposed amendment include establishing a minimum one-year prison term for evading service, with a maximum penalty of five years. Additionally, the draft seeks to increase prison time penalties by two-thirds for those who delay their service until they age out of eligibility, which is typically by the end of the year they turn 36.

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To bolster deterrence and uphold fairness in the conscription system, the amendment proposes a penalty of one to five years in prison.

The MOI emphasized that these changes are not a fundamental shift in military service policy but are intended to strengthen deterrence and ensure that all male citizens fulfill their constitutional duty. The ministry believes that by raising the minimum sentence and introducing harsher penalties for specific evasion tactics, the system's integrity will be better upheld, while those who comply with their obligations will not be adversely affected.

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Overall, the draft amendment aims to bolster the conscription system and ensure fairness by increasing penalties for those who seek to evade alternative military service.