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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| July 19, 2004 |
Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwan's Alternative: Saying No to Armed Service |
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| Three Taiwanese involved in Military and Alternative Public Service |
In the year 2000, Taiwan celebrated the Democratic Progressive Party triumph over the 50 year rule
of the Nationalist Party, a party which had repressed the Taiwanese for 38 years under martial law.
The youth of Taiwanese had reason to celebrate again later in the year, when Taiwan began to allow
young men to volunteer outside the mandatory military service. Albert Lin, a security expert and peace
activist, heralded this change as a crucial step in Taiwan's future - especially a peaceful one. "It
is really hard to democratize. We have to learn more, we have to change without using force," he
said. |
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| Albert Lin Speaks About Cross-Strait Security Issues |
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights there were around
47 countries with mandatory military service requirements in 2001. Lin believes that allowing public
service increases the opportunities for peace by strengthening civil society. "People living
in this age have a big responsibility. How can we create the space for everyone to voice their opinion?" Lin
asked. In the past only institutions such as official diplomacy and business cooperation were the
main tracks to brokering peace. Lin argued that as civil society groups like NGOs and NPOs have multiplied,
they have come to play important roles in the peace process. One of these organizations is Peace Time,
founded by a Taiwanese legislator who helped write the alternative public service bill. |
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| Participants Break into Discussion Groups with the Three Taiwanese Guest Speakers |
Peace Time works towards improving the public service system to make sure it succeeds. And there are
many skeptics within Taiwan, which is targeted by an estimated 600 to 700 Chinese ballistic missiles
across the straits. The Taiwanese government had shown strong resistance to changing the law, but
the shifting political environment influenced by the young population is challenging the island nation's
long held systems.
Chen Yu-che, 27, felt strongly about not serving in the military, feeling he wanted to contribute
something better to Taiwan's society. "I had hoped I could help society from a completely different
angle," he said. Yu-che is now finishing up his public service in an office that provides support
for others opting out of the army. Upon finishing university or graduate studies, students used to
have to go straight into the army. "A lot of young people think that two years in the army is
a waste." Lin Chi Hua, 28, is finishing up his time as a soldier. He says that they not only
lose two years, but it also causes the skills they acquire in university to rust. "Often what
they do is totally different than what they were doing before," Chi Hua said. "They don't
want us to think, just follow orders. When we enter the army we have to shave our heads, so we often
joke that with shorter hair we have lower IQs."
Tsai Yun Wei, also 28, points out that public service solves the government's lack of human resources
as well as increasing Taiwan's reputation abroad. "I realized that I could improve my skills
in sociology and help others in society." But he says public service is not as easy as some think.
On average it lasts four months longer than military service and religious conscientious objectors
often have to serve even longer. |
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Yun Wei, who was assigned to senior citizen housing work, found working with low-income elderly people
difficult, having to wash and help them to the bathroom. "But after doing this work, I realized
I was effecting their lives directly - so the feedback was more direct than I had imagined." The
soldier Chi Hua says those in the military still get a wider range of choice when entering service,
whereas those in alternative public service have little choice.
Although Peace Time and other NGOs are still pushing for fresh changes to public service, other countries
with strict military serivice requirments service requirements, such as Korea, have taken notice of
Taiwan's recent shift. Chien Hsi-Chieh, the Executive Director of Peace Time Foundation, even testified
before the Korean congress in 2002 to report on Taiwan's experience. After only four years of operation,
Yu-che is proud of the positive impact public service has already had in Taiwan and abroad. "There's
been stories from all over the world about these people, who are bringing change to local people." |
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Please see the following link for more information.
Peace Time Foundation of Taiwan
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