Changes to Taiwan's Military Punishments Take Effect

TaiwanPlus News

The way Taiwan's military disciplines its troops is undergoing changes. The defense ministry says this will help protect the rights of its troops and bring punishments more in line with the rule of law.

Transcript

00:00As Taiwan's military prepares its forces amid heightened threats from China,

00:05it's also undergoing changes to the way it disciplines its troops.

00:25One common punishment is forcing troops that are found to be out of order

00:29to stand at attention, often for long periods.

00:33Under the new rules, though, that's now limited to two hours per day.

00:37The changes also prohibit the punishment from being used when troops are on leave,

00:41on a break, or during late night or early morning hours.

00:45The military will begin allowing salary deductions,

00:48a less physical form of punishment,

00:50which experts say will help with managing personnel.

00:53Rules surrounding another form of discipline are also being changed.

01:05Some soldiers are punished by being forced to spend time expressing remorse for their mistakes.

01:11But now, the time they spend repenting will not factor into their service period,

01:15so they'll have to stay for extra days to finish,

01:17in effect, heightening the punishment.

01:19The defense ministry says the adjustments bring the military's punishments

01:23more in line with the rule of law,

01:25and help protect the rights of its personnel,

01:28all in the hopes of better managing a military

01:30that plays a crucial role in fending off existential threats to Taiwan.

01:35Justin Wu and Cadence Caranta for Taiwan Plus.

01:37Justin Wu and Cadence Caranta for Taiwan Plus.

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