Taiwan defense ministry seeking to mandate prison terms for draft dodgers

Taipei, June 21 (CNA) Taiwan's defense ministry has put forth amendments to the law on compulsory military service, proposing non-commutable prison sentences instead of fines for convicted draft dodgers.

The proposed amendment to the Punishment Act for Violation to the Military Service System is part of Taiwan's efforts over the past year to reduce the incidence of draft evasion, according to an advance notice published June 11 by the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Currently, Article 3 of the Act stipulates that citizens who evade military conscription are liable to a maximum sentence of five years in prison. However, in practice, most draft dodgers receive court sentences of less than six months, the MND said.

Under Taiwan law, prison sentences of six months or less can be commuted to a fine, meaning that most draft dodgers actually pay a fine instead of serving time in jail, according to the MND.

The ministry said that it thinks prison sentences would be a stronger deterrent, therefore, it has proposed an amendment to Article 3 of the Act, stipulating prison terms of one to five years for citizens who evade military conscription.

The proposed amendment also seeks to revise the penalties for those who evade reservist training and wartime mobilization, also mandating prison terms of one to five years, according to the MND's advance notice.

A stiffer penalty of up to eight years and four months has been proposed for citizens who have not served by the time they reach the conscription age limit of 36 years, the notice said.

Under Taiwanese law, proposed legislative amendments must undergo a public consultation period of no less than 60 days before being submitted to the Legislature for review and passage.

The MND's proposal followed a crackdown launched by Taiwanese authorities in 2025 on entertainers who allegedly were evading mandatory military service by obtaining falsified hypertension diagnoses.

During the investigations, it was found that a syndicate, led by a suspect named Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), had been accepting bribes to help celebrities obtain fake hypertension diagnoses. To date, more than 20 entertainers and musicians have been indicted.

In Taiwan, all eligible male citizens aged 18 to 36 are subject to one year of compulsory active military service.