Taiwan indicts Wang Talu over alleged plot to dodge military duty
TAIPEI: Taiwanese actor Wang Talu and 27 others were charged on Monday with offences relating to dodging the island's mandatory military service, prosecutors said.
Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which claims the self-ruled island is part of its territory, and Taipei's military is struggling to recruit and retain troops.
Mandatory military service for men aged 18 and over was extended to one year from the previously obligatory period of four months, taking effect at the beginning of last year.
Deferment can be granted for higher education, although all men are required to serve in the military by the time they turn 36.
Wang, 34, also known as Darren Wang, is a popular actor in Taiwan, South Korea and China, where news of his questioning by police in February was the top trending topic on China's X-like social media platform Weibo.
The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office said in a statement Wang had been charged with knowingly causing a public official to make a false entry in a public document.
Wang allegedly paid the "prime suspect" in the case, a person surnamed Chen, NT$3.6 million (US$120,000) to "handle matters related to evading military service."
Chen was detained before he could carry out the plan, which involved another defendant using Wang's ID and health insurance cards to go to hospital under the actor's name, prosecutors said.
Chen and another 26 defendants were also charged with violating the military service system by "hurting the body or using other methods to change the physical conditions."
Under Taiwanese law, anyone found guilty of that offence faces up to five years in prison.
"The conscription system is the cornerstone of maintaining social stability and national security," prosecutors said, warning that using illegal means to evade it would undermine social order and national security.
Wang, who was granted bail and was set to begin his military service in March, faces a maximum term of three years in prison if found guilty.
Chen could face at least five years in jail for enabling "a large number of conscripts" to dodge conscription and pocketing NT$7.63 million.--AFP
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