College students are calling for conscription reform in light of the war in Ukraine, although views diverge on length of service.
Observing the Russian invasion of Ukraine has underlined the need for Taiwan to review its compulsory military service system, which requires men born after Jan. 1, 1994, to serve for four months, National Taiwan University student council president Chang Cheng-yu (張承宇) said yesterday.
However, service length is not as key as providing all citizens with general defense training, he said.
Everyone should be trained in basic response measures such as first aid, transportation and coordination, as well as up-to-date combat technologies and
‘PULLING WEEDS’: Some college students thought four months of military service is not enough, while others said that time spent training should be put to better useBy Wu Po-hsuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday retracted its motion to force a proposed amendment to the Local Government Act (地方制度法) through to a second reading following opposition protests.
DPP lawmakers had taken turns “guarding” outside the doors to the main chamber of the legislature since Tuesday and rushed in at 7am yesterday to register the amendment to the act on the list of items to discuss.
The DPP had also attempted to use its legislative majority to move the proposed amendment directly to a second reading and bypass committee review.
Legislative procedures stipulate that a draft or proposed amendment is to be sent
CLARIFYING HISTORY: A memorial to Chen Wen-chen was completed in February, but students and faculty complained that it lacked context about who it was forBy Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
A plaque at Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) Memorial Square is to include a phrase indicating that Chen was likely murdered, the National Taiwan University (NTU) school affairs council said yesterday.
Chen, an assistant professor of mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University, died while visiting Taiwan. His body was found on the morning of July 3, 1981, outside the library on the NTU campus in Taipei.
A day earlier, the 31-year-old had been detained and interrogated by the now-defunct Taiwan Garrison Command, a secret police body which sought to question him about his financial contributions to the pro-democracy <i>Formosa Magazine</i>.
Some people suspect that Chen was