As part of a push to strengthen defenses around the capital, the marine corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), a source with knowledge of the matter said today.
Two weeks ago, a military source revealed that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the marine corps to increase troop counts in the greater Taipei area.
The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas around Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
This comes after a 2017 decision by the Ministry of National Defense to station the brigade at the Political Warfare Academy in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), the first combat unit based in Taipei, the source said.
The personnel currently deployed to the airport are about the strength of a company, another source said on condition of anonymity.
Plans regarding how long troops would remain deployed in the area or whether their remit would expand to jointly protect Taipei’s Boai Special District (博愛特區) alongside military police have yet to be finalized, the source said.
On the eve of Lunar New Year, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) thanked air force, army and navy for their hard work and sacrifices on behalf of the country.
In photographs released by the Military News Agency, soldiers with marine equipment could be seen in the foreground with commercial airliners and civilian buildings in the background, confirming their deployment to the Songshan airport.
To defend against “decapitation strikes” against the capital, the 66th Marine Brigade has been reorganized as a strategic reserve force directly under the command of the general staff to support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei, the source said.
As part of its reorganization efforts to better support the military police presence in Taipei, the 66th Marine Brigade is to follow the example of the US Marine Corps and remove its armor and artillery units, the source said.
In their place, the brigade would add a drone unit, they added.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS