Roads emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors for a half-hour yesterday in parts of Taiwan — including the capital, Taipei — during an air-raid exercise as the nation steps up preparations in the event of an attack by China.
Sirens sounded at 1:30pm for the mandatory street evacuation drills, which effectively shut down towns and cities across northern Taiwan for 30 minutes.
A “missile alert” was sent via text message asking people to find safe shelter.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
“It is necessary to make preparations in the event of a war,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said after overseeing drills for the annual air defense exercise named Wanan (萬安), which means “everlasting peace.”
“Chinese military planes have frequently harassed Taiwan in recent years, and there was an invasion of Ukraine in February,” Ko said. “These incidents remind us that we need to be vigilant in peace time.”
Police in Taipei directed vehicles to park at the side of the road, and passersby were told to seek shelter. Shops and restaurants pulled down their shutters and turned off their lights to simulate darkening in the event of a nighttime attack.
Photo: Lam Yik Fei, Bloomberg
Firefighters practiced putting out a fire triggered by a missile attack.
Sirens sounded 30 minutes later to signal the end of the drill.
The air defense exercise is aimed at raising public awareness of emergency warnings to reduce the possibility of casualties and damage if attacks occur, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said.
Those who contravene evacuation controls during the annual drills could face fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 (US$1,003 to US$5,015) under the Civil Defense Act (民防法).
The 30-minute drill is to be carried out at 1:30pm on today in central Taiwan, tomorrow in southern Taiwan, and Thursday in eastern Taiwan and outlying counties, the ministry said.
Central Taiwan comprises Taichung, Chiayi county and city, and Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou and Yunlin counties.
Southern Taiwan covers Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, with the eastern and outlying areas comprising Hualien, Taitung, Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties.
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