Taiwan

Covers the period from April 2001 to March 2004.

Population: 22.4 million1
Government armed forces: 290,000 (estimate)
Compulsory recruitment age: 18
Voluntary recruitment age: not known
Voting age: 20
Treaties ratified: not applicable

There were no reports of under-18s serving in the armed forces.

Context

Relations between Taiwan and China remained strained.2 Taiwan maintained a sizeable military establishment, accounting for nearly 17 per cent of its 2003 budget.3 During 2002 steps were taken to limit the scope and application of the death penalty. However, no moves were taken to introduce a moratorium. At least 100 prisoners reportedly remained on death row in 2002 and at least seven people were executed in 2003. In November the cabinet proposed a draft anti-terrorism law which provides for the death penalty for acts causing loss of life and lesser penalties for participation in or assistance to "terrorist" groups or activities.4

Government

National recruitment legislation

According to the 1946 Constitution, "people shall have the duty of performing military service in accordance with the law" (Article 20).5

The Military Service Law requires that all males are liable for military service from 1 January of the year after they are 18 until 31 December of the year they are 40 (Article 3). Generally, conscripts undergo 22 months of training. Exemption on health grounds and deferment for school and college students are allowed. Under Implementation Regulations for Substitutive Conscription, dated 2 February 2000, conscripts may choose non-military national service, including in the police, fire, social, medical and educational services. In 2001 nearly 8,300 conscripts performed this alternative service, and in 2002 more than 10,000.6

The National Defense Mobilization Reserve Act replaced the 60-year-old National Mobilization Act in November 2001. It established a people's defence mobilization system, and provided the legal basis for declaring full or partial mobilization of a citizens' reserve in national emergencies in peacetime and at times of war. The Ministry of National Defense is responsible for recruitment and training of reserve forces.7 The minimum voluntary recruitment age was not known.

Military training and military schools

The Chung-cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, founded in 1976, provides senior high school education and basic military training for students who wish to continue in one of the armed forces academies or the college for political warfare training. The minimum age for enrolment in the school appeared to be about 15 years.8

1 The Statesman's Yearbook 2004, ed. Barry Turner, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

2 BBC News, "Q & A: Taiwan's ties with China", 3 February 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk.

3 US Department of State, Background note: Taiwan, December 2003, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2813.htm.

4 Amnesty International Reports 2003 and 2004, http://web.amnesty.org/library/engindex.

5 Constitution, at Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan), http://www.gio.gov. tw (About Taiwan, Government).

6 Taiwan Yearbook 2003, Government Information Office, http://www.gio.gov.tw (About Taiwan, National Defense).

7 China Times, "New national mobilization rules to take effect", 15 November 2001, Government Information Office (Taiwan headlines), http://th.gio.gov.tw/show.cfm?news_id=11890.

8 Taiwan Yearbook 2003, op. cit.

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