Wed, Oct 24, 2001 page3

• Army says wet cloth can help in gas attack

  EDUCATION CAMPAIGN As the army seeks to calm the public by providing information on what to do in the event of a chemical attack, one officer warned that China's chemical weapons capability has significantly improved

  • By Brian Hsu / STAFF REPORTER
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  A mere wet handkerchief can help defend against a poisonous gas attack, and could save lives in an emergency, the army said yesterday.

  "There is no need to panic about a possible chemical attack," said Major General Chang Chin-teh (張晉德), chief of the chemical department of the army general headquarters.

  

  Major General Chang Chin-teh, left, chief of the chemical department of the army's general headquarters, demonstrates how to survive a chemical attack with everyday items like a piece of cloth as a soldier in chemical warfare gear looks on at a news briefing in Taipei yesterday.

  PHOTO: REUTERS

  "Bring a handkerchief with you. Wet the handkerchief and use it to cover the nose [and mouth] if there is a strange smell in the neighborhood," said Chang.

  "It is a simple life-saving method we recommend to civilians. Civilians do not need to be armed with gas masks to protect against a poison-gas attack. It is impossible for them to always carry gas masks with them. What they need is a handkerchief or a normal mask," Chang said.

  Chang made the remarks yesterday at a regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense, where he briefed the media on the army's suggestions to the public in the event of a chemical attack.

  The suggestions, including the use of a wet handkerchief, are printed in a booklet which the army will distribute to the public, Chang said. The army plans to print 500,000 copies of the booklet.

  The first batch will be handed out this Saturday at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT stop to coincide with a chemical attack drill to be held at the site.

  The drill will be jointly launched by the defense ministry, Environmental Protection Administration, the Ministry of Transportation and Communication and other relevant agencies.

  "The drill is aimed at teaching the public how to save themselves in the event of a chemical attack at a location like an MRT stop," Chang said.

  "It is also expected that relevant agencies of the central government will learn through the practice drill how to best coordinate their efforts to protect against a potential chemical attack," he said.

  The drill is to be the first of its kind in the country following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the US, which have triggered a global terrorism scare, including worries over possible chemical and biological attacks.

  A preliminary rehearsal for the drill was held on Friday at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall MRT stop.

  Chang said that Friday's exercise was not satisfactory but that he is confident Saturday's practice drill will not let the public down.

  Meanwhile, Chang warned that China has very strong chemical warfare capabilities vis-a-vis Taiwan.

  "China has greatly strengthened its chemical warfare capabilities mainly because of assistance from Russian chemical-warfare specialists recruited following the collapse of the Soviet Union," Chang said.

  "China is probably the world's second-strongest country in terms of chemical warfare next to the US."

  Chang declined to speculate on the likelihood of a Chinese chemical attack against Taiwan, but did say he was positive that China will not attack Taiwan with biological weapons.

  "Unlike chemical weapons, biological weapons produce uncontrollable results. China is not likely to take such a chance if it wanted Taiwan to remain livable and usable after it captured the country," he said.
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