Tainan holds military, air raid, disaster drills on same day for 1st time
ROC Central News Agency
07/25/2023 10:25 PM
Tainan/Kaohsiung, July 25 (CNA) Annual air defense, disaster and cross-branch military drills were held on the same day in Tainan for the first time Tuesday, as part of a simulated Chinese attack on the southwestern city.
At 1:30 p.m., police and military personnel in Tainan began imposing strict traffic controls alongside an order for civilians to shelter in place for the 30-minute Wanan air defense drill.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's armed forces held a series of military maneuvers testing the city's response to a simulated Chinese missile attack on airports, harbors, and residential areas as part of cross-branch Han Kuang military drills.
In addition, civilian workers took part in drills organized by the city government at five locations, including the port of Anping, for the 9th edition of the Minan disaster prevention exercises.
The mock rescue operations, which included a simulated building collapse, saw staff from the city's emergency services mobilize a 90-meter-high aerial work platform and drones for land, sea, and air rescue efforts, according to officials.
Among those observing the drills were Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄).
In an address following the conclusion of the exercises, Chen noted that extreme weather and frequent compound disasters had rendered living conditions in Taiwan increasingly precarious, adding that international tensions had also been heightened by the war in Ukraine.
Describing China as a continuous threat to the country's safety and development, the premier said that emphasizing security remained Taiwan's greatest challenge.
"Only through the all-out defense mobilization and disaster prevention can Taiwan effectively respond to these challenges," Chen noted.
In neighboring Kaohsiung, where the Wanan drill was held at the same time as in Tainan, people and vehicles followed the guidance of police and civil defense personnel to evacuate and seek shelter, city police said in a press release.
Also held in Kaohsiung was disaster response drills at the TAi Urban Resort and at a local power station run by the state-owned Taiwan Power Co.
According to police, the emergency drills included firefighting, medical treatment for a large amount of the injured and handling of radiation leaks.
The Wanan drills, which took place in northern Taiwan from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, was also held in Pingtung County on Tuesday. They will take place in the eastern part of the country and Taiwan's outlying counties on Wednesday.
(By Hung Hsueh-kuang, Chang Jung-hsiang and Chung Yu-chen)
Enditem/ASG
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