The first political-military simulation independent of the Han Kuang military exercises by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to be held next month, with the scale of the simulation to be greater than any held under the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a source said.
The simulation is to focus on the potential scenarios of open conflict or war on the Korean Peninsula, in the East China Sea or in the South China Sea in which China attacks Taiwan with missiles and cyberattacks, the source said.
In the simulation, Tsai would be presumed not to be in the Presidential Office Building or her official residence, and would be moved to a designated area for pickup by a CM-32 Clouded Leopard armored vehicle and transported to the Yuanshan Command Center in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area, the source added.
There is to be a simulated attack on the president’s motorcade by clandestine Chinese “fifth column” forces while en route to the command center, the source said, adding that the Republic of China Marines 66th Brigade, stationed at the Fuxinggang (復興崗) military academy in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), would relieve the motorcade.
The simulation is to be the first time the brigade’s response time is measured since it was stationed in Taipei, the source added.
The source declined to comment on whether the simulation would include a transfer from the main command center to a reserve command center, as was simulated in the Yushan simulation in 2008.
Such simulations have been held 11 times since the first in 2005, with the simulation in 2008 being the largest, the source said, adding that “the Tsai administration aims to at least match the scale of simulations under former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).”
Similar simulations under the Ma administration usually lasted only one or two days, due to fears that they would affect cross-strait relations, the source said.
When Chen stepped down in 2008, the Ma administration received 10 boxes of simulation data, the source said, adding that only six boxes of data were handed over to the Tsai administration.
Representatives of the US usually attended such simulations under Ma and Chen, but officials of the US Department of State and US Department of Defense have declined to comment on whether representatives would attend next month’s events, the source added.
Running the simulation independently of the Han Kuang exercises — previous simulations were often held immediately prior to the military drills — might suggest that the two could be held separately in the future, the source said, but added that no such decision had been made.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS