Mon, Jul 24, 2023 page1

• Han Kuang drills start, greater Taipei to halt transport

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  The annual Han Kuang military exercises, which start today, would test the military’s backup operations to ensure there would be no interruption in the chain of command in the event of an attack, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday.

  The five-day exercises would include a simulation to test the air force’s backup operations and its emergency response capabilities during wartime, the source said.

  The drill would focus on a scenario in which the command and control functions of the Joint Air Operations Center on Toad Mountain (蟾蜍山) in Taipei are affected after the center comes under attack, resulting in personnel having to move to an alternate location to ensure that operations can continue, the source said.

  

  Military police direct people to evacuation sites during the Wanan air defense exercise in Taipei on July 22 last year.

  Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

  The annual exercises are for the first time to include a drill at Taitung Airport. The exercise, to be held tomorrow, would involve F-16V Block 20 fighter jets and C-130H transport aircraft.

  On Wednesday, a one-hour anti-takeover operation is to be held at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport during which commercial air traffic would be suspended.

  The drill is the first of its kind to be staged at Taoyuan airport since it opened in 1979.

  On Thursday, an anti-landing exercise is to be held on a beach in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里), at the Port of Taipei and at the mouth of Tamsui River (淡水河).

  The Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s major war games, have been held annually since 1984 in the form of live-fire drills and computerized war games, with the aim of ensuring Taiwan’s combat readiness in the face of a Chinese invasion.

  This year’s tabletop war games were staged in May.

  The Tong Hsing exercises, which aim to ensure that the nation’s reserve forces are adequately trained, are also to take place during the five-day annual military drills.

  Meanwhile, as part of the Wanan air defense exercise taking place in northern Taiwan today, all transportation in the greater Taipei area would have to stop for 30 minutes, with drivers and passengers required to evacuate public transportation or their vehicles, the Taipei Department of Transportation said.

  From 1:30pm to 2pm, all buses, taxis, transfer stations and MRT stations in Taipei would be required to temporarily suspend operations or instruct passengers to evacuate to designated areas, it said.

  Buses would not be dispatched during the drill, but those already on the road would be required to stop by the side of the road or at a bus stop, and passengers would be asked to evacuate to the nearest shelter, the department said.

  Intercity buses driving on highways would be allowed to keep driving, but would be required to follow the same instructions when they leave the highway, it said.

  Transfer stations would not dispatch buses and would turn off the lights inside the building, with people allowed to enter but not leave the station during the drill, it said.

  People riding YouBikes would also have to stop by the side of the road, it added.

  The Taipei MRT system would continue to operate with passengers allowed to enter but not leave stations, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.

  Taipei MRT vendors, underground malls and the Taipei Arena would close their windows, doors and turn off their lights during the exercise.

  Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (臺北大眾捷運) reminded the public that according to the Civil Defense Act (民防法), anyone who contravenes regulations during the drills could face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$1.5 million (US$960 to US$48,015), adding that stations would urge passengers not to congregate around entrances.

  New Taipei Metro Corp (新北大眾捷運) said that during the drill, Danhai Light Rail transit services would be temporarily suspended.
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