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Air raid drill scheduled for this afternoon in the north

The annual Wanan (萬安) air raid drill will be held at 2:30pm today in seven northern cities and counties, and residents in those areas are urged to stay inside of the building or follow instructions for evacuation during the 30-minute drill.

The drill, which covers areas between Hsinchu County and Ilan County, was rescheduled to today after complaints were raised over the plans to hold a nighttime drill earlier this month.

The Ministry of National Defense was criticized for disturbing the public by scheduling a nighttime drill. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) later told a Cabinet meeting that the ministry should move the drill back to the daytime so that it would not inconvenience people.

The ministry says people inside buildings should turn off their electricity and lights, and close their windows after hearing the siren.

Those who are outdoors should follow the instructions of the military or police officers, it said.

There will be traffic controls during the drill, but public transportation, including the Taipei MRT, Kaohsiung High Speed Rail, trains, boats and planes, will continue running during the period, the ministry said. Passengers who exit trains will be directed to designated areas, while drivers will be required to pull their vehicles to the curb, it said.

Failure to follow the rules could result in fines between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.

The Taipei City Government will monitor the situation from the 72th floor of Taipei 101.

The drill in eastern Taiwan had been planned for Aug. 13 between 6am and 6:30am but public complaints forced the ministry to reschedule it to between 2pm and 2:30pm the same day.

Elsewhere around the country, the air raid drill will be held on Kinmen next Monday between 3pm and 3:30pm; on Sept. 9 in central Taiwan between 9:30am and 10am; on Sept. 17 on Matsu between 9:30am and 10am and on Sept. 23 in southern Taiwan between 1:30pm and 2pm.
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