The annual Wanan air raid drills are to be held across the nation from this month to May, while the Minan disaster prevention drill will include anti-terrorism exercises in preparation for the Universiade in August.
The 40th Wanan drill, a military and civilian exercise, is to be held in seven regions on Taiwan proper and the outlying islands to build public awareness of defense, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Streets will be evacuated from 1:30pm to 2pm to allow for military exercises, disaster prevention drills, air-raid siren tests and traffic control.
Photo: Tu Chu-min, Taipei Times
The National Police Agency will also test its mobile phone text alert system during the exercise, with information on the annual drill being sent to users when air raid sirens are turned on, All-out Defense Mobilization Office Director Major General Han Kang-ming (韓岡明) said.
The first exercise is to be held in Kinmen County on Tuesday next week, followed by Matsu on Thursday, Hualien and Taitung on March 2, central Taiwan on April 13, southern Taiwan on May 11, northern Taiwan on May 18 and Penghu County on May 24.
Meanwhile, the Minan disaster prevention drill is to be held in Taitung County on March 2, New Taipei City on March 9, Hualien County on March 16, Taichung on March 23, Taipei on March 29 and 30, Tainan on April 6, Chiayi City on April 13, Keelung on April 20, Taoyuan on April 27, Kaohsiung on May 11 and Hsinchu City on May 18.
The drills are meant to familiarize the military and civilians with region-specific disasters and response procedures, with representatives of the nation’s diplomatic allies to be invited to observe the exercises, Han said.
The ministry will cooperate with the Executive Yuan’s Office of Homeland Security to conduct counterterrorism drills during the Minan exercise in Taipei to prepare the city government for the Universiade in summer, Han said.
“The Wanan drill is to familiarize the armed forces and civilians with the nation’s air defense to reduce the impact of an air raid, while the Minan drill is to build a systematic disaster prevention mechanism,” ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said.
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
A small-scale protest that called on the government to cancel its plan to welcome Indian migrant workers in a bid to tackle Taiwan’s labor shortage was held in Taipei yesterday. During the protest, comprised of a few dozen people staged in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, the protest’s chief initiator, a woman identified only as “Yuna” said they wanted the central government to reconsider allowing migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan. Most people in Taiwan had little knowledge about the potential plan to allow in Indian migrant workers until a report in the media last month, she
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with