The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Tuesday said an emergency message it sent to US citizens in Taiwan on Feb. 10 was a reminder to be prepared for natural disasters, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on Feb. 6.
The AIT represents US interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
It explained the purpose of the emergency message after a local TV station reported that the AIT sent an e-mail to US citizens about a possible evacuation in the event of a cross-strait conflict.
Citing an unnamed source, the report claimed the message said that if cross-strait tensions were to escalate, an evacuation plan could be launched under the codeword “earthquake.”
The report did not present a copy of the message or any details to confirm that it even existed.
The only emergency message sent by the AIT so far this year has been the message on Feb. 10, titled “Preparing Now for Disasters.”
An AIT spokesperson said the message was “part of our regular, ongoing outreach conducted to US citizens worldwide,” which is done because “the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State.”
The message, which is also available on the AIT’s Web site, says news of the earthquake “reminds us that a disaster can occur at any time, unexpectedly, and the best time to prepare for one is now.”
“AIT reminds US citizens in Taiwan that Taiwan is in a region prone to disasters. If you find yourself affected by an unexpected disaster, your own preparations will be most important,” it says.
The message also urged Americans to prepare a “go-bag” to ensure documents and necessary supplies are easily accessible in case of emergency.
It also advised US citizens to enroll in the state department’s Smart Traveler-Enrollment Program to receive security messages.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
RSS