TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) employees can avoid being called up for military service under certain conditions, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

As the country's reserve forces are being summoned for military training, the MND has responded to accusations of unfairness in the selection process. Reservists are selected based on a number of factors, including their rank, expertise, and household registration and type of military service, said Yu Wen-cheng (俞文鎮), a division chief at the All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency, on Tuesday (March 8).

The system is fully computerized, Yu stressed, adding that those recently discharged from the military will be among the first to be called up, per UDN.

Asked about whether employees of TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, are subject to call-ups, the official explained that they are eligible for deferment under certain circumstances. The Act of Military Service System (兵役法) stipulates that “special technicians” from military industries are allowed to delay being drafted.

Because TSMC is categorized as a company associated with the military sector, it can apply to defer call-ups for employees who have completed their compulsory military service and worked at the firm for at least a year, CNA quoted Yu as saying.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) has vowed to crack down on online rumors suggesting people can dodge the draft if they “live in remote areas, have particular body shapes, have unusual names, are ex-convicts, or have served in the military voluntarily.”