{"id":261181,"date":"2023-01-08T14:50:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T14:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hamslivenews.com\/?p=261181"},"modified":"2023-01-08T14:50:42","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T14:50:42","slug":"chinas-suicide-military-helmets-for-deserters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hamslive.com\/news\/2023\/01\/chinas-suicide-military-helmets-for-deserters\/","title":{"rendered":"China’s \u201csuicide\u201d military helmets for “deserters”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 2020, the news came out that China was developing \u201csuicide\u201d military helmets equipped with remote self-destructive capabilities.<\/h2>\n

This was specifically initiated in China by the commanders for “deserters”.\u00a0 The button initiates the explosion of an embedded bomb, effectively killing the soldier.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAt a battalion or brigade level command center, a commander watches a soldier who is far away by using the navigation system. The commander can activate the self-destruct function of the soldier\u2019s helmet if he can\u2019t get in contact with him,\u201d wrote last December 2020 by the state-run media outlet China Observer<\/em>\u00a0in a now-deleted post.<\/p>\n

Soldiers can also\u00a0hit\u00a0the button themselves. \u201cIf a soldier is seriously wounded and doesn\u2019t want to be captured, he can activate the self-destruct function himself. This can maintain his dignity, as well as prevent the enemy from obtaining this system,\u201d the report read.<\/p>\n

The new military gear comes as more members of the\u00a0People\u2019s Liberation Army<\/em>\u00a0(PLA), China\u2019s regular armed forces, are deserting their posts or disobeying their commander. Experts see the new helmet as a stringent measure to keep Chinese soldiers\u00a0in line.<\/p>\n

The Chinese soldiers specifically stationed in Tibet will be given a \u201csuicide\u201d helmet with a self-destruct button<\/a>\u00a0that can be\u00a0pressed\u00a0at will by the soldiers or their commander.<\/p>\n

This is developed to kill enemies, control Chinese soldiers<\/h2>\n

The newly developed helmet is part of an \u201cindividual soldier digital combat system\u201d developed to ensure that the Chinese side would win any potential conflict with the Indian army. Troops from both sides have been fighting battles at the Sino-Indian border due to territorial disputes over the Ladakh region.<\/p>\n

The system includes an antenna and bomb, multifunctional night goggles, camera modules, and a digital control terminal that can be worn on the arm. Soldiers outfitted with this system can communicate with the battalion commander at the command center via radio. They can also commit \u201csuicide attacks\u201d by detonating the bomb when they approach Indian forces.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, commanders can order the firing of artillery through the camera embedded within soldiers\u2019 jackets, besides having the power to hit the self-destruct button. Soldiers in special forces units and the squad infantry, as well as the artillery, and aviation. and armor divisions will be equipped with this system.<\/p>\n

After the report was released, numerous critics denounced the system. U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan said that the suicide helmets are\u00a0proof of the PLA\u2019s struggle to control its troops, noting that the Chinese military had to\u00a0use extreme methods just to ensure\u00a0soldiers do not abandon their posts\u00a0or disobey their commanders.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow PLA soldiers are forced to fight after wearing the helmets. Otherwise, they will be killed by their commander,\u201d Tang said.<\/p>\n

Chinese military issuing\u00a0severe punishments to deserters<\/h2>\n

The rollout of the self-destruct gear is among the many stringent measures employed by the PLA to better control their troops. Over the last few years, the Chinese military gave out punishments like banning deserters from public transportation, attending school, operating a business, working in government posts, and applying for passports.<\/p>\n

Though\u00a0these punishments are concerning from a human rights standpoint, the PLA\u00a0is\u00a0intent on using them to scare\u00a0its soldiers. In 2019, it\u00a0launched a public shaming campaign<\/a>\u00a0against a Chinese university student\u00a0named\u00a0Zhang Moukang who told the PLA he\u00a0was planning to leave.<\/p>\n

The PLA posted Zhang\u2019s story on\u00a0its\u00a0website \u201cto make an example\u201d out of it, according to\u00a0Adam\u00a0Ni, a China affairs researcher at the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at\u00a0Macquarie University<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in Australia.<\/p>\n

Ni noted that the PLA wanted to \u201cpublicize\u201d Zang\u2019s case \u201cin a way that that reaches a broader society.\u201d Zhang, after leaving the Chinese military, faced a total of eight penalties including a two-year ban on foreign travel, buying real estate, getting loans or insurance, opening a business, and studying in college or secondary school.<\/p>\n

The Chinese national was also\u00a0fined\u00a0$4,000 in addition to the\u00a0$3,750 that he was required to reimburse the military for costs incurred during his short stint as a soldier.<\/p>\n

Zhang\u2019s case is only one of the many cases of vitriol committed by China in a bid to suppress dissent.<\/p>\n

You may also want to read https:\/\/www.hamslive.com\/news\/2022\/01\/04\/china-renames-15-places-in-india-ap-builds-new-bridge-on-pangong-tso\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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