The Ministry of National Defense has awarded restricted contracts worth NT$2.32 billion (US$75.47 million) to buy portable and vehicle-mounted decontamination devices to equip reserve chemical warfare troops in anticipation of their numbers being raised next year.
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology was awarded NT$213.4 million to provide decontamination systems to be used by light vehicles, a public contract notice dated Monday last week said.
The military previously said it aimed to obtain 194 lightweight systems.
Photo: Screen grab from the Republic of China Navy’s Facebook page
The Taoyuan-based Suitable Spring Businessman Co was awarded a NT$18.2 million contract for 960 portable decontamination systems, a separate notice posted four days prior said.
These systems are to be delivered by the end of next year, according to publicly available information.
The lightweight and portable systems are to replace the obsolete T4-84 and T4-77 systems in the reserve forces’ inventory respectively, sources said.
The replacement plan was prompted by the passing of the systems’ retirement date and difficulties in sourcing spare parts, they said.
The new decontamination systems would enhance capabilities to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats in the event of a war, and provide relief during pandemics in peacetime, they said.
The deal for the decontamination systems was part of a larger NT$2.6 billion budget allocation to obtain 81mm mortars, automatic grenade launchers, night vision devices and other types of equipment for reserve units.
The demand for equipment from the armed forces reserve was projected to expand as a result of the ministry’s plan to form reservist territorial defense brigades, extend refresher training to two weeks and lengthen military conscription.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
RSS