Taipei Fine Arts Museum

The implementation of substitute military service offers a brand new prospect in Taiwan’s military service system. Various sectors of the society have pinned great hopes and expectations on this revolutionary service. The devotion of human resource from substitute service will facilitate the government’s ability to provide public services to a large extent.
In order to effectively improve the effects of Taipei City Government’s use of substitutive service manpower, substitute services draftees of Taipei City (excluding police services, fire-fighting services, environmental protection services and family factors) are all housed and accommodated in the same place and managed by the Department. The Substitute Service Center was established on September 27, 2000. At the beginning, the Center temporarily borrowed the space from the Taipei City Civil Service Training Center to house the substitute services draftees. At the same time, the old medical building of the Tri-service General Hospital was renovated. On August 10, 2001, the draftees formally moved to the current Center.
Substitute service draftees come from every part of the society with different experiences, education and backgrounds. To achieve excellence, the Center provides rules for draftees to follow in order to cultivate both their internal temperament and external deportment. Furthermore, the Center emphasizes nurturing their sense of responsibility and discipline as well as good habits, such as orderliness, cleanliness and simple life. This is the philosophy behind the establishment of the Substitute Service Center and the goal that the Center strives to achieve.

I.Planning and Implementation of Use of Substitutive Service Manpower
(1)Planning and Implementation of Use of the City’s Substitutive Service Manpower
The use of the City’s substitutive service manpower is implemented according to the “Operational Rules for Demand for Substitutive Service Draftees” enacted by the Ministry of Interior. In November each year, the Department is responsible for ascertaining the number of substitute service draftees requested by each agency for the next two years. After the data is compiled, the Department will review the job scopes and number of substitute service draftees required by the agencies jointly with the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, Department of Budget, Accounting and Statistics and Personnel Department. The review results will be signed and submitted to the Mayor for approval. Each agency then formulates a plan and the number of substitute draftees required for the next four years based on the approved number of substitute service draftees, and directly makes application to the central user organization. After the central user organization compiles and reviews all duty service units, the central user organization will make submission to the competent authority, the Ministry of Interior.
(2)Division of the rights and Duties of Substitute Service
According to the “Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services”, the “Bylaws of Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services” and the applicable regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Interior, the division of responsibilities and duties concerning military service and life management by the City’s agencies is put into place to ensure a comprehensive substitute service management system.

II.Management and Supervision of Draftees in Substitute Service Center
The City has prepared the Taipei City draftee management handbook for substitute service draftees in the Substitute Service Center and counseling program according to the “Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services”, the “Bylaws of Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services” and the applicable regulations promulgated by the Ministry of Interior. It is to ensure that draftees will acquire good habits in a safe and disciplined environment and receive correct concepts of duty performance to facilitate the effects of military service, which in turn will enhance the effects of public services provided by the government.
(1)Control on- and off-duty draftees: draftees who are receiving current training should mainly use public transportation. The Center will closely liaison and communicate with the duty service units with the communication recorded. The time that draftees should return to the Center after duty should be clearly set. Time clocks and timecards are used to control the whereabouts of draftees to ensure their safety.
(2)Implement developmental training: a half-day development training session will be held at the Substitute Service Center each month to enhance the professional demeanor of draftees and to nurture team spirit. Furthermore, the training is intended to cultivate correct life values of responsibility, discipline and cooperation. Apart from speeches on special topics, personnel designated by duty service units are invited to have face-to-face communication with draftees in respect of their life and military service in group activities.
(3)Hold honor meeting every quarter: all draftees accommodated in the Center will participate in the honor meeting. Personnel designated by each duty service unit will also participate in the meeting. Outstanding achievement will be first commended in the meeting, followed by the case-by-case explanation of the handling of proposals made by draftees in the previous quarter. Draftees are invited to offer their critiques and suggestions in relation to life management inside the Center, which will be tracked and improved within the stipulated time.
(4)Establish security measures in the event of major incident and accident:
● Within their scope of responsibility, each counselor shall thoroughly investigate the existence of any draftee with mental illnesses, strengthen the interaction between draftees living in the same room, closely monitor the language and conduct of the draftee with mental illness, and liaise closely with the draftee’s duty service unit and family. Moreover, counselors shall give guidance and show care for the draftee at the appropriate time. If necessary, counselors should help bring in medical help or send draftees with mental illness to a counseling agency.
● To lock all emergency exits leading to the roof and prohibit draftees from going upstairs. Warning sign should be put up in the external stairs between the floors. Night shift security guards shall increase patrol of basement and dark places in the garden.
● To collect data to establish the guidelines for handling major incident or accident involving draftees and the standard notification procedure for all staff to follow. This ensures that any incident or accident will be handled effectively and timely.
● All night-time activities organized by the Center should be designed to attract as many draftees as possible and to encourage draftees’ participation. In addition, the selection of the speech topic and speaker in the monthly developmental training should meet the needs of draftees as much as possible by inviting religious groups or charity organizations devoted to mental reconstruction for the youth so as to stabilize temperament of draftees and reduce the occurrence of major incidents.
(5)Encourage draftees to get involved in sports to improve their stamina, train their bodies, nurture the team spirit and foster a sense of coherence. Ball games are incorporated into night activities in each quarter. Draftees may form their own team and sign up for the competition. Each unit forms its own cheerleading squad. The winning teams will be commended publicly in the honor meeting.
(6)Fully implement grooming check on substitutive service draftees by adopting the following measures:
● Grooming check is conducted during the morning roll call every day and the group activity of the monthly developmental training.
● Personnel are assigned to visit each duty service unit inside Taipei City on irregular basis every week, and correct draftees’ grooming jointly with the duty service unit to ensure draftees’ grooming is consistent with the stipulated standards.
● Design visitation and disciplinary records. After recording and compiling the information of draftees who fail to comply with the grooming standards, the department will send a letter to the duty service unit to request the unit to impose punishment and demand improvement within the stipulated time.
(7)Strengthen communication and contact with draftees’ families. Telephone interviews with draftees’ families will be made within one week after draftees move into the Center. Moreover, greeting letters which introduce the environment and management of the Center will be sent to draftees’ families for them to have peace of mind. By way of this, family members can also understand draftees’ life in the Center so as to build the mutual understanding. Both the Center and draftees’ families will help draftees serve military service without difficulty and adapt to the life in the Center. The Center also welcomes visits paid by draftees’ families.

III.Management of Substitute Service and Public Administration Substitute Service Draftees Due to Family Factors
The Taipei City government has enacted the “Taipei Regulations for Family Factors & Conversion of Substitute Service to Replacement Services” and the “Taipei City Draftee Management Handbook for Substitute Service Public Administration of Family Factors” according to the “Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services” and the Management Points Governing Public Administration Substitute Service Draftees enacted by the Ministry of Interior. These regulations and management handbook ensure that the City Government acts impartially when public administration substitute service draftees are assigned or transferred due to family factors, and more effective use of substitute service manpower.
(1)Duty inquiry and investigation: Irregular visits will be made to duty service units to inquire and investigate substitutive service draftees who do not perform their duties well, constantly take sick leaves or leaves of absence or do not obey their immediate supervisors. Ideas and opinions will be exchanged to understand the draftees’ performance of their duties and their inappropriate conducts. This enhances draftees’ compliance with rules and assists draftees supervised by duty service units to serve military service properly.
(2)On-the-job training: in order to boost morale of substitute service draftees, strengthen their compliance with rules, enhance their legal knowledge, promote correct service and rule of law concepts, the Department implements the half-day “developmental training” each month (afternoon of last Thursday of the month). The course design centers general education, promotion of laws, basic training and grooming check to strengthen draftees’ understanding of the entire team. In terms of draftees who misbehave or do not perform their duties well, staff from the duty service units will be invited to participate in the special meeting which is called by the Department.

IV.Awards for Substitute Service
The Taipei City Government has enacted the “Taipei City Government Regulations for Discharge and Awards Upon Substitutive Service Draftees” according to the “Regulations for Awards & Punishments upon Substitute Services Draftees” and Outstanding Substitute Service Draftee Award Program of the Ministry of Interior. Each level 1 agency makes recommendations (limited to once only during the duration of the conscription service). The Department will award a certificate of gratitude from the Mayor to the draftee for outstanding performance during the conscription period after reviewing all the pertinent information.

V.Early retirement
Where a substitute service draftee suffers a major family incident which makes him shoulder the entire family’s financial burden as set forth in the regulations governing early retirement of substitute service draftees, the draftee may apply to the section of compulsory military service of the district office for early retirement by submitting the household certificate transcript, tax records and relevant supporting documents. The application will be submitted to the Department for re-examination. The Department will re-examine the abovementioned application based on the principles of law, reason, and sentiment and properly handle the application.