The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday released an updated version of its civil defense handbook, seeking to provide more practical information than the widely criticized version originally published in April last year.
The updated version has double the number of pages, from 28 originally to 48, and is separated into sections covering "peacetime preparation" and "wartime response," All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency Director Shen Wei-chih (沈威志) told reporters in Taipei.
It outlines safety measures for civilians during an air raid, major fire, building collapse, major power outage, water shortage or shortage of essential goods, while explaining basic survival skills and offering emergency hotlines.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Compared with the previous version, Shen said the new version has more descriptions of civil defense concepts and offers more detailed suggestions on how to respond to different types of emergencies.
It also lists nearby air raid shelters and hospitals, and explains how to prepare an emergency kit, he said.
Notably, the wartime response section includes a chapter on “enemy identification,” specifying the uniforms and insignias worn by Republic of China personnel versus those worn by “enemy” soldiers, without explicitly naming the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Chinese versions for different regions are also available to download here.
No English version has been issued yet, but the ministry said it would publish one, without saying when.
The original handbook was widely criticized for being impractical, as it focused more on explaining government responsibilities during wartime rather than telling people what to do.
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
More than 8,000 people took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday to express support for more defense spending, after the opposition slashed the Cabinet’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget and capped it at NT$780 billion. The demonstrators urged the Cabinet to propose another bill. Taiwan Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the main problem of the passed budget plan is the removal of funding for critical items, not just that the total amount is smaller. Critical budget items included purchasing or developing uncrewed vehicles, Strong Bow (強弓) missile systems, additional ammunition, artificial intelligence-powered combat systems and Taiwan-US
RSS