DEFENSE/More details on military trial system overhaul expected in April: Cabinet

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) The Executive Yuan planned to discuss further details about reinstating the military trial system next month, amid an increase of espionage cases involving active-duty servicemen, Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said Thursday.

At a press briefing, Lee said Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) would convene a Cabinet meeting in early April to review a plan for restoring and overhauling the system, as well as a timeline for putting it into action.

While there are still military judges, the current law mandates that court-martial be used only during times of war. Any change to that would require legislative approval.

On March 13, Lai announced his administration's intention to reinstitute the military trial system, following a growing number of espionage cases involving active Taiwanese servicemen.

The government will seek to amend the Military Trial Act to "restore the military trial system [and] allow military judges to return to the frontline," Lai said at a news conference.

Military trials will handle military crimes committed by active-duty servicemen, such as sedition, aiding the enemy, leaking confidential information, dereliction of duty and disobedience, he added.

According to data from the National Security Bureau, 64 people in Taiwan were indicted for spying for China in 2024, three times the number in 2021.

Of those indicted, 28 were active-duty servicemen and 15 were retired personnel, accounting for 66 percent of the total, the data showed.

On Thursday, Lee said the government would "build up a new system" that ensures independence, fair trials and due process in future military trials.

The government is committed to addressing "the aspects of the previous system that were criticized and did not adhere to the Constitution," Lee said, without elaborating.

Speaking with CNA last week, the Judicial Reform Foundation expressed concern that the previous legal framework would be restored. The NGO noted that the military court system was disbanded in 2013 because of multiple cases of human rights violations and cover-up among military personnel.