Annual Wanan air raid drill starts in northern Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
07/24/2023 01:31 PM
Taipei, July 24 (CNA) The annual Wanan air raid drill began in northern Taiwan on Monday, with traffic ground to a halt and civilians required to shelter in place and follow police instructions.
The half-hour drill began at 1:30 p.m. with air raid sirens going off across Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Yilan, where residents also received a text message from the government on their mobile phone notifying them about an air attack drill.
Road traffic and pedestrian movement, meanwhile, are being halted until 2 p.m.
In addition to the air raid exercise, local governments this year are also required to stage another half-hour of drills to test shelter operations, and to check if utilities are working and if there are enough supplies, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
Motorists are reminded to follow police instructions and not to violate traffic rules during the exercise period, or be subject to a fine ranging from NT$30,000 (US$956) to NT$150,000 under Article 25 of the Civil Defense Act, the MND warned.
The 30-minute drill will be carried out at the same time on Tuesday in southern Taiwan, Wednesday in eastern Taiwan and outlying counties, and Thursday in central Taiwan, the ministry said.
The air defense exercise this year is aimed at raising public awareness about emergency warnings, in order to reduce the possibility of casualties and damage if an attack occurs.
(By Matt Yu, Lee Hsin-Yin and Ko Lin)
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