Three of Taiwan’s field army commands this month would each hold anti-landing drills on a beach in their jurisdiction, including two public beaches, the Fisheries Agency said in three notifications on May 23 and Monday last week.
The first drill would be held on Wednesday by the army’s Tainan-based Eighth Army Corps on a public beach in the Sishu Coastal Recreation Area, the agency said.
The Sixth Army Corps on June 18 would be training on Jhongfu Beach (中福海灘) in New Taipei City, while the 10th Army Corps would conduct a live-fire drill on June 26 at Taichung’s Caocuosi Beach (草厝溪海灘), the agency said.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
The military has been strengthening its defense protocols with weapons practices, wargames and live-fire drills conducted on the nation’s “red beaches.”
Beaches in Taiwan are categorized into three color codes: Red beaches could see large-scale landing operations and are the most vulnerable to a Chinese People’s Liberation Army invasion; yellow zones are beaches that could see unconventional landing operations; and blue beaches are locations that would be difficult to invade.
Anti-landing drills that involve shooting practices on beaches aim to familiarize soldiers with the environment of a potential battlefield, the military said.
Firing rounds on beaches differs from target practice in controlled environments, as environmental factors such as wind and sand can affect visibility and the functionality of weapons, the military said.
The military also increased the number of anti-landing drills on red beaches, such as in Tainan’s Sishu Coastal Recreation Area.
Because these areas are accessible to the public, the army had only conducted basic drills such as physical training and hardware construction before the first live-fire exercise in Taoyuan’s Guanyin Coastal Recreation Area, which was held at the end of last year.
The three red beaches selected for the anti-landing drills this month were also evaluated by analyst Ian M. Easton in his book The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia for their tactical relevance.
Sishu (喜樹) could be a target due to its closeness to important locations such as Taoyuan International Airport and Tainan Air Base, and infrastructure such as the Coastal Highway, Easton said.
Jhongfu Beach was mentioned for its proximity to Taoyuan International Airport and Linkou Power Plant, as well as Caocuosi Beach, as it is near Taichung International Airport, which is also an air base.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS