Taipei Times
Date: Nov 01, 2016
By: Aaron Tu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The legislature’s Budget Center has called on the military to release 191 unused bases for development to avoid waste, saying maintenance is likely to cost taxpayers about NT$26.19 million (US$829,322) in the coming fiscal year.
The findings, published by the center in a report, said that due to military cutbacks between 1997 and 2014, the total number of armed forces personnel fell from 460,000 to 210,000, with many barracks becoming unused and redundant.
The Ministry of National Defense has been amalgamating its camps, establishing barracks that house personnel from all three branches of the military and relocating away from cities, the report said.
Empty bases must have guard patrols to deter crime and regular sanitation sweeps to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, as multiple infestations have been reported at the sites, it said. [FULL STORY]